Last updated on December 7, 2024
As December approaches soon, winter is in people’s minds. The presence of snow, Christmas and cold air makes it some people’s favorite season of the year. However, wIth all of its fun, winter also has a downside. Though people may confuse a fresh, cold breath with clean air, the air quality during winter tends to be worse than most of the seasons. The air quality during winter worsens due to several factors, including natural phenomena such as temperature inversion and cold air, as well as human activities like the use of heating systems and automobiles.
A natural phenomena called temperature inversion occurs during the winter. Temperature inversion occurs when the warmer air from the atmosphere traps the cold air, along with pollutants, in the atmospheric space between the surface and the inversion layer. This event causes air quality to worsen during the winter as it makes it harder for air pollutants to dissipate in the atmosphere, forcing us to breathe hazardous air. In addition, cold air is a problem that is often overlooked, but it can have serious consequences. Cold air is often drier than what people breathe normally, amplifying respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, causing difficulties for many people.
Human activities also have an effect. During winters, the cold weather leads to an increased use of heating systems. Consequently, the increased use of heating systems leads to an increased demand of energy, causing more burning of fossil fuel than usual. The burning of fossil fuel contributes to climate change and releases toxic pollutants, which can lead to heart disease, cancer, and other health issues. In addition, automobiles take longer to warm up during winters, releasing more toxic gas than usual. During the warm-up period of a car, the engine emits particulate matter(PM), which releases harmful particles in the air such as smoke and soot. During winters when the car engines are cold, the engine emits more PM, leading to increasing release of harmful particles.
Winter is a great season, and personally it’s my favorite. However, be aware that the air quality is often worse because of the natural order of the planet, as well as human contributions to the cause. Don’t let this ruin your winter entirely, though. Christmas is arguably the biggest holiday of the year, so go have fun!
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