🚀 go-pugleaf

As a side note to the question about LA haze, it's interesting that the
optical depth of the haze over much the eastern half of the U.S. during
summer often exceeds that of the LA haze. Perhaps LA haze is generally
thought to be worse since there is such contrast between the LA basin and
the nearby mountains while one can drive for days through the hazy east.

Much of the eastern haze comes from sulfates that begin life as sulfur
dioxide from coal-fired power plants. It's interesting that the Federal
government subsidizes some of the largest coal-fired plants (e.g. the TVA)
while at the same time penalizing cities in regions affected by the
emissions from these plants. This past summer, Texas was influenced by
haze from the TVA region that moved south over the Gulf of Mexicio and
then moved northward over Texas in a giant clockwise pattern. 

Forrest M. Mims III
Sun Photometer Atmospheric Network (SPAN)