The Regional Atmospheric Measurement Modeling and Prediction Program or RAMMPP, comprised of University of Maryland researchers and students, has helped the Maryland Department of the Environment improve regional air quality since 1999 by tracking how the ingredients for smog can originate from upwind states.
Due to Maryland’s geography and size, the state’s air quality is often affected by what is coming out of smokestacks upwind.
Traffic, development density and proximity to water — particularly the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic — also contribute to the state’s dirty air.