The Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork (ASCENT) is a new, real-time, advanced air quality measurement network in the U.S. supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure program. It provides real-time measurements of a wide range of air pollutants in PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 micrometers) in real time. ASCENT has 12 measurement stations across the U.S. and each station is equipped with a suite of advanced instruments. All sites were established and started sampling in May 2024.

The ASCENT site in Los Angeles detected high levels of chlorine and lead particles from the LA fires. As ASCENT is a relatively new project, we are still in the process of building an open and free database for everyone to access the data. In the light of current devastating fires in LA, we are making the following selected preliminary real-time data available for the public to be better informed of potential pollutant exposures. All data are preliminary and have not been fully quality checked. Note that since our instruments measure PM2.5, windblown ash particles may be too large to be detected by our instruments and not reflected in the levels displayed in the plots. For any further questions about these data, please contact our team at inquiry.ascent@gmail.com.

If you are interested in staying in touch with ASCENT and receiving updates, please sign up for the mailing list.

Three ASCENT sites are located in southern California: Pico Rivera, Rubidoux, and Joshua Tree National Park

CLICK HERE TO VIEW REAL-TIME ASCENT DATA FROM THESE SITES.

Please also refer to the South Coast AQMD website for information on other air pollutants, and EPA Wildfire Factsheet on how to reduce smoke exposure.