2025/08/28 by Benjamin Rico, Kelley C. Barsanti, William C. Porter +3 · 9 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting #Air Quality and Health Impacts #Air quality index #Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols #Business #Environmental planning #Environmental protection #Environmental science #Geography #Meteorology #Quality (philosophy) #Water resource management
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.adv1343
published in Science 389(6763), eadv1343 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
openalex publication_date 2025/08/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Industrial chemicals and untreated sewage have polluted the Tijuana River for decades, recently causing >1300 consecutive days of California beach closures. In summer 2024, wastewater flows surged to millions of gallons per day despite no rain, enhancing water-to-air transfer of hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and other toxic gases at a turbulent hotspot. High wastewater flows and low winds led to nighttime H 2 S peaks, reaching 4500 parts per billion (ppb)—exceeding typical urban levels of <1 ppb. H 2 S levels and community malodor reports were strongly correlated (correlation coefficient r = 0.92), validating long-dismissed community voices and highlighting an environmental injustice. This study demonstrates that poor water quality can substantially affect air quality—although rarely included in air quality models and health assessments—with far-reaching implications as polluted waterways increase globally.