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<\/p>\nARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 Upwards of 3.8 million people are traveling through North Texas for the FIFA World Cup over the next few weeks. Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington saw it as a unique opportunity to study air quality.<\/p>\n
As a sea of orange blankets the outside of Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, Dr. Yunyao Li watches that orange not just on the ground, but in the air. Li is an\u00a0assistant professor in UT Arlington’s department of earth and environmental sciences.<\/p>\n
\u201cTraffic will increase, air flight will increase, buses will increase, and all this increase will help us understand what may happen in the future,\u201d said Li.<\/p>\n
Before noon, a storm gave North Texas a clean air quality slate for the Sunday match.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransport the surface pollution to the upper troposphere, like a giant vacuum,\u201d said Li.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On her computer, which is recording data on air quality in Dallas-Fort Worth, the region is a blue-green color, meaning levels of pollution are low.<\/p>\n
Then, fans start showing up to the stadium. The map shows spots near the stadium and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport\u00a0turn from blue-green to a yellow-orange as fan events kick off.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt around 1 p.m., we start to see the pollution increase, and after the game around 6 p.m., another peak,\u201d said Li.<\/p>\n
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An air quality monitor. (Spectrum News 1\/Lauren Rangel)<\/p>\n
These air quality monitors are tracking pollutants that are tied to health concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll these air pollutants, they can lead to lung issues and heart issues,\u201d said Li.<\/p>\n
Li has several of the monitors across DFW. One is at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, another at AT&T Stadium and one at the University of Texas at Arlington.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Cup is actually a very good example,\u201d said Li. \u201cIt gives us a real world stress test because we don\u2019t know what we\u2019re having as a future if more people come into this region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growth is moving quickly in DFW. The North Central Texas Council of Governments expects the region to pass 9 million people next year. In March, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Texas gained more residents than any other state.<\/p>\n
Li\u2019s goal is that this data can help prepare for that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to help the local agencies and governments to find what’s the major source of the pollution, where are these pollutions, where are the hot spots and how can we find a target solution to reduce air pollution,\u201d said Li.<\/p>\n