Air Pollution Potential

Why is the air pollution problem so serious in Fairbanks? Fairbanks is not an industrial city with factories which contribute to pollution problems, and it is not a large population center.

The primary culprit is air stagnation caused by the development of temperature inversions. These trap near the ground a large fraction of whatever air pollution is produced.

In consequence, each person in Fairbanks contributes to air pollution in a way that is comparable to the effect of one hundred or more people in a city like Los Angeles. Fortunately Fairbanksans are developing an awareness of the problem and public officials are actively working to control it, but the high individual "pollution potential" may be a real limit to growth of the Fairbanks area.