A newly published study finds that California’s Salton Sea emits hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and foul-smelling gas, at rates that regularly exceed the state’s air quality standards. The presence of these emissions in communities surrounding the Salton Sea are “vastly underestimated” by government air-quality monitoring systems, the researchers found.  The study, published in the journal GeoHealth, underscores the risk posed by hydrogen-sulfide emissions to communities already burdened by other environmental and socioeconomic stressors, the researchers say. … The study found that between 2013 and 2024, SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District) sensors in the communities of Indio, Mecca and the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation frequently showed hydrogen sulfide readings exceeding State of California standards.

Other Salton Sea news:

• PBS SoCal (Los Angeles): Green extractivism: Can our deserts survive our thirst for lithium?
• Vox: The wild hunt for clean energy minerals