Kerry Kelly en route to set up a sensor monitoring air pollution in the Great Salt Lake
Kerry Kelly en route to setting up a sensor that monitors air pollution at the Great Salt Lake. (Credit: The Story Exchange)

For this special report, we head to Salt Lake City, Utah — a nature lover’s paradise that periodically has the worst air quality in the world. We talk to expert Kerry Kelly, a University of Utah professor who has been studying the toxic dust that’s been lofting off the vanishing Great Salt Lake. The lake is disappearing due to climate change, drought and diversions of water for agricultural use. Kelly has invented air quality sensors and protocols for dealing with poor air quality. She recently received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, which she’ll used to help high school athletic teams figure out when to practice outdoors and when to reschedule games.