Where and how do SO2 and vog affect air quality in Hawai`i?
The most critical factors that determines how much vog impacts any area are wind direction and speed. Where and how bad the vog is ultimately depends on several additional factors including air temperature, humidity, and rainfall as well as the location of the source and amount of SO2being emitted from Kīlauea Volcano. There are currently two main sources of SO2 emissions on Kīlauea—Pu`u `Ō `ō (east rift) and the active vent in Halema`uma`u Crater (summit). The amount of SO2 emitted by Kīlauea began to increase in mid-2007 and has been particularly high since the new gas vent in Halema`uma`u opened in March 2008. During prevailing trade (from northeast) wind conditions, much of the SO2 from Pu`u `Ō `ō is blown out to sea, while SO2 from the summit vent often creates vog in Ka`u communities from Pahala to Ocean View. Unfortunately, both plumes eventually reach the west side of Hawai`i Island in a “double-whammy” of combined effects, resulting in an especially dense and nearly constant h
