Association of Regional Agricultural Smoke Exposure With Sociodemographic Factors in Rural and Urban Communities

GeoHealth · 2026-01-01

Abstract Ambient air pollution remains a leading environmental risk factor for morbidity and mortality in the U.S, though most research is conducted in urban areas. Our study assessed how sociodemographic factors indicative of social vulnerability were associated with smoke from agricultural burns in Florida. We assessed census‐level sociodemographic variables among four counties adjacent to the Everglades Agricultural Area ( n = 409 census tracts, 2016–2020). Smoke day counts from local agricultural fires were based on satellite plumes identified from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hazard Mapping System. Primary analysis fit a negative binomial model with bidirectional stepwise regression, followed by an adjusted geospatial model with a Queen‐continuity adjacency matrix. Sensitivity analysis focused on rural‐only census tracts. Rural areas had higher concentrations of people of color and poverty compared to coastal urban areas. Median (Q1, Q3) smoke days by census tract was 36 (31, 45), with the highest concentrations in rural central and western regions. Primary model results skewed toward mostly urban tracts, where an interquartile ranges (IQR) increase in median household income was associated with a 12% decrease (95% confidence interval (CI) −14.5%, −5.2%) in smoke days. Among rural‐only census tracts, an IQR increase in percentage of residents living 200% below the poverty line and non‐English speaking residents were associated with 23% (95% CI: 1.2%, 37.7%) and 120% (95% CI: 20.5%, 176.5%) increases in smoke days, respectively. Sociodemographic factors associated with health and environmental vulnerability were context dependent. Within rural regions, poverty, race and ethnicity played more important roles in exposure risk, whereas wealth mitigated risk among urban areas.

Historical, Current, and Projected Drivers and Pressures of Environmental Change

Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · 2025-12-01

A growing economy, increasing population and changing lifestyles are driving the demand for goods and services, such as materials, energy, and food. However, the current systems for producing and consuming these resources are unsustainable. They are shaped by poor governance structures and policies, particularly in the areas of economics and finance, as well as behaviours and technologies that promote land-use change, resource exploitation, greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and the spread of invasive alien species. These pressures contribute to the interconnected global environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and desertification and pollution and waste. Addressing these challenges and achieving internationally agreed goals requires a deep understanding of how these drivers interact and how to transform the economic and financial, material resources, energy and food systems to manage their environmental consequences effectively.

Insights Into Summertime Surface Ozone Formation From Diurnal Variations in Formaldehyde and Nitrogen Dioxide Along a Transect Through New York City

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · 2025-05-12 · 6 citations

Abstract Estimating tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) production from observations is challenging but possible given the close coupling of O 3 with formaldehyde (HCHO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), two remotely sensed air pollutants. The previous reliance on once‐daily satellite overpasses highlights the need to study diurnal changes and surface‐column relationships. Using surface observations, Pandora spectrometer retrievals, and a high‐resolution (1.33 km) air quality model (WRF‐CMAQ), we characterize diurnal patterns of HCHO and NO 2 at seven locations along an upwind‐downwind pathway through New York City during June–August 2018. Diurnal patterns of limited surface HCHO measurements suggest biogenic emission influence, while a bimodal surface NO 2 pattern indicates the impact of local anthropogenic nitrogen oxides emissions. Details of these patterns vary by site: an afternoon NO 2 spike at New Haven (CT) indicates traffic emissions, while a delayed daily HCHO peak at Westport (CT) relative to other sites likely reflects sea breeze dynamics. Peak column concentrations generally lag surface peaks by about four hours, occurring at 9–10 a.m. for morning NO 2 (from Pandora and WRF‐CMAQ) and around 4 p.m. for midday HCHO (from WRF‐CMAQ). TROPOMI overpass time at 1:30 p.m. misses peak column HCHO and NO 2 concentrations. A box model (F0AM) constrained with site‐level observations and WRF‐CMAQ fields indicates 1–9 ppb hr −1 higher noontime local O 3 production rates on three sets of paired high‐ versus mid‐to‐low‐O 3 days. F0AM sensitivity analyses on these six days suggest a predominantly transitional O 3 formation regime at urban and downwind sites, differing at some sites from the NO x ‐saturated regime diagnosed for summertime average conditions via the weekday‐weekend effect.

Recent trends in agriculturally relevant climate in Central America

International Journal of Climatology · 2024-05-06 · 3 citations

Abstract This study examines the climatology and trends in climate in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador over the past four decades, against the background of potential impacts on rainfed agriculture, livelihoods, and migration. The results show that there has been a significant warming of surface temperatures, an earlier start to the monsoon, a drier and longer mid‐summer drought, and a delay in the second peak of precipitation from September to October. These changes have led to an increase in vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in northern Guatemala and along the Pacific coast in winter. High VPD can stress plants and lead to reduced yields. The study also finds that the thresholds that cause a decline in coffee yield have already been reached in El Salvador, but the average VPD has also risen in Guatemala and Honduras over the past 42 years. Maize yields have also been negatively affected with an inverse relationship with daily maximum temperatures during the summer flowering season. Observed changes and trends in these climate factors are believed to have direct implications for crop yields and livelihoods, potentially driving shifts in migration patterns.

Relevance of population mobility for climate change mitigation

Vienna Yearbook of Population Research · 2024-04-04

Population mobility and immobility are depicted prominently in the climate change adaptation literature either as maladaptation, or failure to adapt, or as a key strategy for adaptation in place or elsewhere. On the other hand, the relevance of population mobility in the context of climate change mitigation has not been highlighted to the same extent as, for example, population growth and fertility. And yet, as the outcomes of people moving around – sometimes in unexpected ways because of local combinations of policies, contexts and shocks – population mobility patterns, trends and levels could both facilitate and constrain climate change mitigation efforts. In this brief note, I suggest that climate change mitigation strategies and actions need to take into account their potential interactions with population mobility because it is a key component of population growth, population distribution and urbanisation trends, as well as a potential contributor to behavioural change.

Defining Disadvantaged Places: Social Burdens of Wildfire Exposure in the Eastern United States, 2000–2020

Fire · 2024-04-08 · 5 citations

This study explores the relationship between wildfire exposure, social vulnerability, and community resilience across the 26 states east of the Mississippi River. This work centers around one research question: are there spatial differences in wildfire exposure that disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities in the Eastern United States over the recent period (2000–2020)? Employing remotely sensed wildfire data and ancillary datasets, we analyze and map the extensive wildfire exposure in the Eastern United States and compare it with spatial metrics of social vulnerability and community resilience to examine the social burdens of wildfire exposure in the Eastern U.S. A discernible wildfire exposure pattern emerges, with the Southeast bearing the highest exposure levels, largely attributed to human-caused and prescribed burning. By establishing a measure of disadvantaged counties using social vulnerability and community resilience, we identify regions where wildfire exposures could have the most adverse impact—areas characterized by highly vulnerable populations and limited community capacity to respond effectively to potential events. In evaluating wildfire risk, we conclude that considering not only exposure levels but also the inclusion of disadvantaged areas (incorporating social vulnerability and community resilience) is essential for understanding the disparate impact of wildfires on individuals and the communities where they live.

Satellite data for environmental justice: a scoping review of the literature in the United States

Environmental Research Letters · 2024-02-13 · 23 citations

In support of the environmental justice (EJ) movement, researchers, activists, and policymakers often use environmental data to document evidence of the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits along lines of race, class, and other socioeconomic characteristics. Numerous limitations, such as spatial or temporal discontinuities, exist with commonly used data measurement techniques, which include ground monitoring and federal screening tools. Satellite data is well poised to address these gaps in EJ measurement and monitoring; however, little is known about how satellite data has advanced findings in EJ or can help to promote EJ through interventions. Thus, this scoping review aims to (1) explore trends in study design, topics, geographic scope, and satellite datasets used to research EJ, (2) synthesize findings from studies that use satellite data to characterize disparities and inequities across socio-demographic groups for various environmental categories, and (3) capture how satellite data are relevant to policy and real-world impact. Following PRISMA extension guidelines for scoping reviews, we retrieved 81 articles that applied satellite data for EJ research in the United States from 2000 to 2022. The majority of the studies leveraged the technical advantages of satellite data to identify socio-demographic disparities in exposure to environmental risk factors, such as air pollution, and access to environmental benefits, such as green space, at wider coverage and with greater precision than previously possible. These disparities in exposure and access are associated with health outcomes such as increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, mental illness, and mortality. Research using satellite data to illuminate EJ concerns can contribute to efforts to mitigate environmental inequalities and reduce health disparities. Satellite data for EJ research can therefore support targeted interventions or influence planning and policy changes, but significant work remains to facilitate the application of satellite data for policy and community impact.

Recent Trends in Agriculturally Relevant Climate in Central America

Research Square · 2024-02-09

Satellite Data for Environmental Justice: A Scoping Review of the Literature in the United States

2023-12-18

In support of the environmental justice (EJ) movement, researchers, activists, and policymakers often use environmental data to document evidence of the unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits along lines of race, class, and other socioeconomic characteristics. Numerous limitations, such as spatial or temporal discontinuities, exist with commonly used data measurement techniques, which include ground monitoring and federal screening tools. Satellite data is well poised to address these gaps in EJ measurement and monitoring; however, little is known about how satellite data has advanced findings in EJ or can help to promote EJ through interventions. Thus, this scoping review aims to 1) explore trends in study design, topics, geographic scope, and satellite datasets used to research EJ, 2) synthesize findings from studies that use satellite data to characterize disparities and inequities across socio-demographic groups for various environmental categories, and 3) capture how satellite data are relevant to policy and real-world impact. Following PRISMA extension guidelines for scoping reviews, we retrieved 81 articles that applied satellite data for EJ research in the United States from 2000 to 2022. The majority of the studies leveraged the technical advantages of satellite data to identify socio-demographic disparities in exposure to environmental risk factors, such as air pollution, and access to environmental benefits, such as green space, at wider coverage and with greater precision than previously possible. These disparities in exposure and access are associated with health outcomes such as increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, mental illness, and mortality. Research using satellite data to illuminate EJ concerns can contribute to efforts to mitigate environmental inequalities and reduce health disparities. Satellite data for EJ research can therefore support targeted interventions or influence planning and policy changes, but significant work remains to facilitate the application of satellite data for policy and community impact.

Acknowledgment of Reviewers

Demography · 2023

• Computer Science
• Computer Science

The Editors of Demography rely on the expertise and judgment of outside reviewers in selecting manuscripts for publication. We thank our many colleagues for their thoughtful and professional contributions to this process. Their detailed, constructive criticism is essential in supporting authors during manuscript revision. Over the last year, we have experienced increased difficulty in recruiting reviewers and receiving timely reviews. Hence, we are especially grateful for this most recent roster of reviewers. The following individuals served as peer reviewers during the period September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023.