Karen Cady-Pereira

Principal Scientist, AER

Helping the EPA develop a better way to measure ammonia pollution by analyzing satellite data

By Karen Cady-Pereira
April 13, 2011

Ammonia is a trace gas that contributes to pollution. Much of the ammonia in the U.S. comes from livestock waste and fertilizer. It’s an integral part of the nitrogen cycle; but excess ammonia is associated with algae blooms and ammonia reacts with sulfate and nitric acid in the atmosphere to form fine particulate matter, a pollutant linked to respiratory ailments.