Determining the Impact of Wildland Fires on Ground Level Ambient Ozone Levels in California

Ricardo Cisneros,Donald Schweizer,Hamed Gharibi,Haiganoush K Preisler

doi:10.3390/atmos11101131

Ricardo Cisneros, Donald Schweizer + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101131

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Abstract

Wildland fire smoke is visible and detectable with remote sensing technology. Using this technology to assess ground level pollutants and the impacts to human health and exposure is more difficult. We found the presence of satellite derived smoke plumes for more than a couple of hours in the previous three days has significant impact on the chances of ground level ozone values exceeding the norm. While the magnitude of the impact will depend on characteristics of fires such as size, location, time in transport, or ozone precursors produced by the fire, we demonstrate that information on satellite derived smoke plumes together with site specific regression models provide useful information for supporting causal relationship between smoke from fire and ozone exceedances of the norm. Our results indicated that fire seasons increasing the median ozone level by 15 ppb. However, they seem to have little impact on the metric used for regulatory compliance, in particular at urban sites, except possibly during the 2008 forest fires in California.

Highlights

Recent droughts in California, in addition to the history of fire suppression in the United States, have contributed to increased wildland fire [1,2] Additions are highlighted yellow throughout the text and old citation style removed
Monitors were selected to include state run compliance run urban areas (Urban), rural areas where federally protected land begins (Rural), and baseline areas (Baseline) where monitors were typically adjacent to federally designated wilderness
We present a simple and objective procedure that uses the satellite smoke metric developed in this study to help identify, with high level of certainty, ozone values impacted by fire

Summary

Introduction

Recent droughts in California, in addition to the history of fire suppression in the United States, have contributed to increased wildland fire [1,2] Additions are highlighted yellow throughout the text and old citation style removed. Beneficial fire may be used to reduce these stressors [3,4]. Whether from large high intensity, prescribed, or ecologically beneficial fire, smoke from wildland fire will be present regardless of management policy. Especially in California, are at a critical point where large high intensity fires are poised to change forested landscapes [5]. Large high intensity fires have had significant impacts on air quality [6], increasing health risks from exposure to smoke [7,8,9]. Minimizing human interference and utilizing fires that have desired fuel and ecosystem benefits reduces the extreme smoke exposures attributed to unwanted large high intensity fires [10,11]

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