vog • air pollution caused by volcanic emissions

From Wikipedia: Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words “volcanic” and “smog”.

The U.S. Geological Survey defines vog as: Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai`i react with oxygen and atmospheric moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain.

Common symptoms related to vog:
• Headaches
• Breathing difficulties
• Increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments
• Watery eyes
• Sore throat
• General lack of energy

We are told to stay inside, drink lots of water, and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.

October for most means cooler temperatures. For some, downright chilly temperatures. For us in Hawaii, it means hot, muggy days. October is almost always one of the hottest months of our year partly because the trade winds for some reason usually die during October. We also have more voggy days when the trade winds die and the southerly winds take over.

Today has been one of the worst days of vog that we have experienced in the past few years. This morning the vog was so thick that it was as if the mountains had disappeared. My eyes feel like there are tiny pieces of glass in them. My throat hurts. It is hard to breathe. They say the vog should end soon. Fingers are crossed!

Still, there are blessings we receive whenever we experience a voggy day. Beautiful sunrises & sunsets.

I happened to be on the road this evening when I noticed the bright orange sun starting to set in the sky. By the time I was able to get to a beach, the sun had disappeared, but I was still able to capture the beauty in the sky.

At one point while I was taking photos, the blurry icon on my little compact camera started blinking because it was getting darker outside. I set my camera down on top of one of a group of four round stone garbage cans to steady it so my photos would not come out as blurry. After taking a couple of photos, I heard a noise that made me jump and freaked me out a little bit. There was some sort of creature inside one of the trash cans making a noise. Not sure if it was a rat or some other critter. I let out a scream and did not stay to find out.

For more on the vog, you can check out two of my previous posts here and here.

*I haven’t been around much lately. Life is good for me. I hope it is for you also. I am just trying to be more in the moment and spend less time on the internet. I do continue to follow everyone’s blogs. I just have not been commenting much.