Forecast and citizen observations for temperature and ozone for Los Angeles area

Heat waves and air pollution events can often occur at the same time, posing a dual threat to the public health in many urban neighborhoods. However, at or within the neighborhood scale few measurements have been taken via community engagement and little is known quantitatively about the co-variation of ozone and temperature Here, we present data from a summer pilot project of community science that involved ~1000 people to study urban heat and ozone pollution in various neighborhoods in Los Angeles, CA. The data collected by the community members reveals large spatial variations of ozone and temperature at the neighborhood scale, which are not resolved in the current generation of the operational (daily) air quality forecast predictions or satellite data products. However, with observations suggesting the significant impact of canopy on air temperature and model’s reliable performance in predicting observed strong ozone-temperature co-variations.