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As temperatures increase, so can air quality problems.  Hot weather makes ground-level ozone pollution (or smog) more likely.

"On hot, still summer days, emissions from cars, power plants, large factories and other combustion sources react in the presence of sunlight to form ground-level ozone that is harmful to people’s health," says Larry Bruss, ozone section chief for the Department of Natural Resources.

But ground-level ozone pollution isn’t the only air quality problem summer can exacerbate; the release of so-called ‘greenhouse gasses’ into the atmosphere can increase in summer as well.  The sunshine and warm weather people so eagerly anticipate often encourage more activities that require power from the burning of fossil fuels, such as driving boats, Personal Water Craft (commonly referred to as jet skis) and ATVs, or running home and office air conditioners.

As fossil fuels burn, they release excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.  These gasses keep the planet warm and allow life to flourish on Earth by trapping the sun’s energy and slowing its escape back into space – a process called the greenhouse effect.

However, too much of this good thing can be dangerous. As atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases rise, the greenhouse effect increases and the global temperature increases as well, causing ‘global warming’.  Scientists agree that the average global temperature is increasing, and they predict that in the next 100 years it may rise another 2 to 6 degrees F.  While this may seem like a small change, computer modeling shows that it could have huge consequences around the world.

Why should Wisconsin residents care about this global problem? Because, says Caroline Garber, DNR environmental studies section chief, global warming could have dire consequences for our very own state.  Credible scientifically-developed scenarios show that Wisconsin could face weather and climate changes such as wetter winters and drier summers with longer, hotter and more frequent heat waves.

Under the influence of these changes, southern Wisconsin farms might begin to resemble those in present day Kansas, typical northern forests could completely disappear from the state, and rivers could run warmer and shallower, hurting populations of trout and other cold-water fish.  In addition, heat-related deaths could increase, as could health problems related to air pollution and pest-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.

Says Garber, "These are serious potential problems that Wisconsin residents should know about. However, they needn’t feel intimidated or helpless – there are things each individual can do to help slow global warming."

Some suggestions include:

• Tune car, boat and other combustion engines so they burn fuel more efficiently.
• Use energy-efficient air conditioners and other appliances, and turn them off when they aren’t needed.
• Carpool, use public transportation, or walk or bike to your destinations to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.
• Purchase items with reusable, recyclable or reduced packaging to help decrease the amount of energy being used to make new packaging.

The publication was included in the April issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine, and copies can be ordered from Anne Urbanski, Bureau of Air Management AM/7, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921 (please request publication AM-303-00 and include name, address, and quantity desired). People can also view the publication on-line at the website for the Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Caroline Garber at (608) 264-9218, or Eric Mosher, DNR climate change specialist, at (608) 266-3010.

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