Ozone and Air Temperature
Earthwatch launched Operation Healthy Air (OHA) in 2017 to engage community members in assessing fluctuations in ozone and air temperature around their homes and test whether local landscaping (e.g. trees, gardens and parks) influences the well-being of their community. OHA launched its pilot program in residential communities in Southern California. OHA was developed as a partnership including academic research institutions (e.g. University of California Riverside, University of Iowa), local partners (e.g. Aquarium of the Pacific, Chino Basin Water Conservation District, Riverside Country Resource Conservation District among others), and community scientists. OHA was supported by grants from NASA and other donors, and the generosity of over 1,000 community members who contributed their time, energy and insights.
Our team of partners and participants mapped and measured how differences in their environment—amount of trees or pavement—affect local air quality and temperature.
Download the program description and results from the 2017 study
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Earthwatch depends on donations—above and beyond what we raise from volunteers who participate on our expeditions—in order to deliver our global conservation mission. In fact, volunteer contributions provide only half of the total resources Earthwatch needs to sustain over 40 field research expeditions, a wide variety of educational programs, corporate sustainability trainings, and more each year.