Injection Height Research Articles

A simple model accounting for the uptake, transport, and deposition of wind‐eroded mineral particles in the hyperarid coastal Atacama Desert of northern Chile

AbstractAs previously observed in marine sediments collected downwind of African or South American continental sources, recent studies of sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay in north Chile (23°S) show a laminated structure in which the amount of particles of aeolian origin and their size create significant differences between the layers. This suggests inter‐annual to inter‐decadal variations in the strength of the local southerly winds responsible for (1) the erosion of the adjacent hyperarid surface of the Mejillones Pampa, and (2) the subsequent transport of the eroded particles towards the bay. A simple model accounting for the vertical uptake, transport, and deposition of the particles initially set into motion by wind at the surface of the pampa is proposed. This model, which could be adapted to other locations, assumes that the initial rate of (vertical) uptake is proportional to the (horizontal) saltation flux quantified by means of White's equation, that particles are lifted to a height (H), increasing with the magnitude of turbulence, and that sedimentation progressively removes the coarsest particles from the air column as it moves towards the bay. In this model, the proportionality constant (A) linking the vertical flux of particles with the horizontal flux, and the injection height (H) control the magnitude and size distribution of the deposition flux in the bay. Their values are determined using the wind speed measured over the pampa and the size distribution of particles collected in sediment traps deployed in the bay as constraints. After calibration, the model is used to assess the sensitivity of the deposition flux to the wind intensity variations. The possibility of performing such quantitative studies is necessary for interpreting precisely the variability of the aeolian material in the sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Smoke injection heights from agricultural burning in Eastern Europe as seen by CALIPSO

Abstract. High frequency of agricultural fires is observed every year during the summer months over SW Russia and Eastern Europe. This study investigates the initial injection height of aerosol generated by the fires over these regions during the biomass burning season, which determines the potential for long-range transport of the smoke. This information is critical for aerosol transport modeling, as it determines the smoke plume evolution. The study focuses on the period 2006–2008, and is based on observations made by the CALIOP instrument on board the NASA CALIPSO satellite. MODIS data are synergistically used for the detection of the fires and the characterization of their intensity. CALIPSO aerosol vertical distributions generated by the active fires are analyzed to investigate the aerosol top height which is considered dependent on the heat generated by the fires and can be associated with the initial injection height. Aerosol top heights of the vertically homogenous smoke layers are found to range between 1.6 and 5.9 km. Smoke injection heights from CALIPSO are compared with mixing layer heights taken by the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF), to investigate the direct injection of smoke particles into the free troposphere. Our results indicate that the aerosol plumes are observed within the boundary layer for the 50% of the cases examined. For the rest of the cases, the strong updrafts generated by the fires resulted to smoke injection heights greater than the ECMWF estimated mixing layer by 0.5 to 3.0 km, indicating a direct smoke injection into the free troposphere. The smoke injection height showed a dependence on the MODIS-Land Fire Radiative Power product which is indicative of the fire intensity, especially in the cases of lower static stability in the upper part of the boundary layer and the free troposphere.

Current status of the ability of the GEMS/MACC models to reproduce the tropospheric CO vertical distribution as measured by MOZAIC

Abstract. Vertical profiles of CO taken from the MOZAIC aircraft database are used to globally evaluate the performance of the GEMS/MACC models, including the ECMWF-Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) model coupled to the CTM MOZART-3 with 4DVAR data assimilation for the year 2004. This study provides a unique opportunity to compare the performance of three offline CTMs (MOZART-3, MOCAGE and TM5) driven by the same meteorology as well as one coupled atmosphere/CTM model run with data assimilation, enabling us to assess the potential gain brought by the combination of online transport and the 4DVAR chemical satellite data assimilation. First we present a global analysis of observed CO seasonal averages and interannual variability for the years 2002–2007. Results show that despite the intense boreal forest fires that occurred during the summer in Alaska and Canada, the year 2004 had comparably lower tropospheric CO concentrations. Next we present a validation of CO estimates produced by the MACC models for 2004, including an assessment of their ability to transport pollutants originating from the Alaskan/Canadian wildfires. In general, all the models tend to underestimate CO. The coupled model and the CTMs perform best in Europe and the US where biases range from 0 to -25% in the free troposphere and from 0 to -50% in the surface and boundary layers (BL). Using the 4DVAR technique to assimilate MOPITT V4 CO significantly reduces biases by up to 50% in most regions. However none of the models, even the IFS-MOZART-3 coupled model with assimilation, are able to reproduce well the CO plumes originating from the Alaskan/Canadian wildfires at downwind locations in the eastern US and Europe. Sensitivity tests reveal that deficiencies in the fire emissions inventory and injection height play a role.

Applying the three‐dimensional model ATHAM to volcanic plumes: Dynamic of large co‐ignimbrite eruptions and associated injection heights for volcanic gases

Many of the past large volcanic eruptions like Tambora in 1815, Krakatau in 1835, and Pinatubo in 1991 were secondary so called co‐ignimbrite eruptions that were forced over a large area instead of a point source as in the Plinian case. Previous modeling studies were based on one‐dimensional plume models. We used the fully three‐dimensional plume model ATHAM (Active Tracer High‐Resolution Atmospheric Model) to investigate the dynamics and the resulting plume heights of co‐ignimbrite eruptions in an idealized setup. Ash particles as well as a sulfur dioxide (SO2) tracer are included in the model. In the analysis we focus on the behavior of SO2 since the neutral buoyancy height is an ill‐defined parameter for gravitationally settling particles. In contrast to Plinian plumes the co‐ignimbrite plumes develop from multiple updrafts resulting in significantly reduced neutral buoyancy heights. At least a two‐dimensional modeling framework is necessary to capture the relevant dynamical features.

Biomechanical Comparison of Kyphoplasty Versus a Titanium Mesh Implant With Cement for Stabilization of Vertebral Compression Fractures

In vitro biomechanical investigation. To evaluate differences in biomechanical stability of vertebral compression fractures repaired using balloon kyphoplasty versus a titanium mesh implant. Vertebral compression fractures may be stabilized using an expandable balloon followed by cement injection. There are small but finite risks of endplate fracture and cement extravasation with this procedure. Alternative techniques may affect cement injection volumes, height maintenance, and biomechanical stability but require investigation. Four male human cadaveric spines from T2 to L5 were used in this study. After determining bone mineral density, individual vertebral bodies were dissected and inspected for previous fractures or additional exclusion criteria. In the remaining vertebral bodies (n=48) anterior wedge fractures were created using a materials testing machine. Fractured vertebral bodies were systematically randomized to be repaired either with balloon kyphoplasty or with titanium mesh implant and polymethylmethacrylate bone cement, using image intensified fluoroscopy. Anterior vertebral body height (cm) was measured initially, after mechanically creating an anterior wedge fracture, after repairing the compression fracture with either technique, and after recompressing the vertebral body following a 24-hour cement polymerization period. Data for cement injection volume (mL) and height maintained following testing (cm) were compared between repair groups using a 1-way analysis of variance (P<0.05). Data for stiffness (N/mm), yield load (N), and ultimate load (N) were compared between intact bodies and repaired bodies using a 2-way analysis of variance (P<0.05). There was significantly less cement injected (P<0.001) and significantly greater height maintained (P<0.025) with the titanium implant group compared to the kyphoplasty group. There were no significant differences in biomechanical stability between the 2 groups (P>0.05). The titanium implant was biomechanically equivalent to the kyphoplasty repair while necessitating less cement and providing greater height maintenance in vitro. Improvements in pain and function could not be specifically addressed in this in vitro study and should be evaluated in a clinical case series.

Electromagnetic induction detector for capillary electrophoresis and its application in pharmaceutical analysis

A new electromagnetic induction detector for capillary electrophoresis and its application are described. The detector is consisted of an inductor, a resistor, a high-frequency signal generator and a high-frequency millivoltmeter. The conditions affecting the response of the detector, including dimension of the magnetic ring, position of the capillary, number of coil turns, frequency, excitation voltage and value of the resistor were examined and optimized. The feasibility of the proposed detector was evaluated by detection of inorganic ions and separation of amino aids. Its quantification applicability was investigated by determination of aspirin and paracetamol in pharmaceutical preparation (Akafen powder). The primary factors affecting separation efficiency, which include variety of buffer, buffer concentration, injection time and injection height and separation voltage, were researched. Experimental results demonstrated that this new detector showed a well-defined correlation between sample concentrations and responses ( r = 0.997–0.999), with detection limits of 30 μmol L −1 for aspirin and 10 μmol L −1 for paracetamol, as well as good reproducibility and stability. Compared with currently available detection techniques, this new detector has several advantages, such as simple construction, no complicated elements, ease of assembly and operation, and potential for universal applications. It can be an alternative to the traditional methods in the quality control of the pharmaceutical preparations.

The effectiveness of different herbicides in the destruction of banana &lt;i&gt; Xanthomonas&lt;/i&gt; wilt infected plants

Early detection followed by the destruction of infected mats is one of the recommended and effective methods of controlling banana Xanthomonas wilt. As manual destruction is very tedious and time consuming, herbicide injections in the pseudostem or the stump were evaluated as a suitable alternative. The study was carried out inLuwero district in central Uganda. Herbicide injections were made on ‘Pisang Awak’ plants (Musa ABB group) using different concentrations of Roundup and 2,4-D at a pseudostem height of 30 and 100 cm. In addition, the herbicide was injected in the centre (diameter-wise) and in the peripheral part of the pseudostem (tangentialwise). Herbicide applications into the stump were also evaluated. All plants (100%) injected with 2,4-D had fallen and started rotting by three weeks after application. However, at three weeks, none of the plants treatedwith Roundup, regardless of the concentration and the height of injection had died. Similarly plants injected with 2,4-D had less re-sprouting compared to plants treated with Roundup. Therefore, 2,4-D is more effective than Roundup in destroying ‘Pisang Awak’ plants and in suppressing the re-sprouting of lateral shoots. Since 2,4-Dis also cheaper than Roundup it is recommended for use on small-scale plantations. At least 1.6 ml of the original concentrate of 2,4-D and 2.0 ml of the original concentrate of Roundup needs to be applied per mature plant. The most effective pseudostem injection height was found to be 100 cm. The angle of injection whether peripherallyor central and the plant growth stage did not affect the herbicides’ efficiency. The results also showed that pseudostem injections are more effective than stump herbicide applications.

Determination of synthetic pharmaceuticals in phytotherapeutics by capillary zone electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection (CZE-C 4D)

In this work, a method for simultaneous determination of amfepramone, fenproporex, sibutramine and fluoxetine was developed by capillary zone electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection (C 4D) using a homemade capillary electrophoretic system. The optimized conditions for the separation of the pharmaceuticals by CZE were as follows: 50 mmol L − 1 phosphate buffer (pH 5.0) in 50/50 (v/v) mixture of water/acetonitrile as the working electrolyte, 15 kV separation voltage, 25 °C separation temperature, hydrodynamic injection by gravity using 20 cm injection height and 60 s injection time. The detection by C 4D was carried out by using a homemade detector, which employs a sinusoidal wave generator operating at 600 kHz frequency and 2 V pp wave amplitude. The optimized and validated CZE-C 4D method was applied for the determination of the studied pharmaceuticals as adulterants in phytotherapeutic formulations commercialized in Brazil for slimming purposes.

Smoke injection heights from fires in North America: analysis of 5 years of satellite observations

Abstract. We analyze an extensive record of aerosol smoke plume heights derived from observations over North America for the fire seasons of 2002 and 2004–2007 made by the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on board the NASA Earth Observing System Terra satellite. We characterize the magnitude and variability of smoke plume heights for various biomes, and assess the contribution of local atmospheric and fire conditions to this variability. Plume heights are highly variable, ranging from a few hundred meters up to 5000 m above the terrain at the Terra overpass time (11:00–14:00 local time). The largest plumes are found over the boreal region (median values of ~850 m height, 24 km length and 940 m thickness), whereas the smallest plumes are found over cropland and grassland fires in the contiguous US (median values of ~530 m height, 12 km length and 550–640 m thickness). The analysis of plume heights in combination with assimilated meteorological observations from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System indicates that a significant fraction (4–12%) of plumes from fires are injected above the boundary layer (BL), consistent with earlier results for Alaska and the Yukon Territories during summer 2004. Most of the plumes located above the BL (&gt;83%) are trapped within stable atmospheric layers. We find a correlation between plume height and the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) fire radiative power (FRP) thermal anomalies associated with each plume. Smoke plumes located in the free troposphere (FT) exhibit larger FRP values (1620–1640 MW) than those remaining within the BL (174–465 MW). Plumes located in the FT without a stable layer reach higher altitudes and are more spread-out vertically than those associated with distinct stable layers (2490 m height and 2790 m thickness versus 1880 m height and 1800 m thickness). The MISR plume climatology exhibits a well-defined seasonal cycle of plume heights in boreal and temperate biomes, with greater heights during June–July. MODIS FRP measurements indicate that larger summertime heights are the result of higher fire intensity, likely due to more severe fire weather during these months. This work demonstrates the significant effect of fire intensity and atmospheric structure on the ultimate rise of fire emissions, and underlines the importance of considering such physical processes in modeling smoke dispersion.

Vertical transport of surface fire emissions observed from space

We use optimal estimation to infer the vertical distribution of surface emissions lofted from boreal and tropical biomass burning during June–October (JJASO) 2006. We use satellite observations of CO, a tracer of incomplete combustion, at thermal infrared and microwave wavelengths from Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), respectively. TES and MLS together typically provide two to three pieces of information. We use a maximum a posteriori (MAP) methodology to estimate emitted CO mass in five vertical regions spanning the troposphere and lower stratosphere, equivalent to estimating surface emissions. Correlations between neighboring vertical regions, due to vigorous mixing induced by surface heating, reduce the inversion to the information content provided by the data. We use a total of 1785 TES profile measurements, of which 672 are colocated with MLS. We define an injection height based on MAP statistics. We find that 10%–20% of boreal and tropical fire emissions, depending on the region, reach the free and upper troposphere during JJASO 2006. Our injection height estimates during two key pyroconvective events, Siberia (July) and Indonesia (October), qualitatively agree with measurements of aerosol index and attenuated backscatter from Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and CALIPSO, respectively. Surface emissions inferred from our mass estimates agree with the Global Fire Emission Database biomass burning emission inventory to within ±10%. The small percentage of emissions injected above the boundary layer result in disproportionate changes in CO concentrations of more than 2–25 ppb and 15–160 ppb over boreal and tropical regions, respectively.

Technical Note: Sensitivity of 1-D smoke plume rise models to the inclusion of environmental wind drag

Abstract. Vegetation fires emit hot gases and particles which are rapidly transported upward by the positive buoyancy generated by the combustion process. In general, the final vertical height that the smoke plumes reach is controlled by the thermodynamic stability of the atmospheric environment and the surface heat flux released by the fire. However, the presence of a strong horizontal wind can enhance the lateral entrainment and induce additional drag, particularly for small fires, impacting the smoke injection height. In this paper, we revisit the parameterization of the vertical transport of hot gases and particles emitted from vegetation fires, described in Freitas et al. (2007), to include the effects of environmental wind on transport and dilution of the smoke plume at its scale. This process is quantitatively represented by introducing an additional entrainment term to account for organized inflow of a mass of cooler and drier ambient air into the plume and its drag by momentum transfer. An extended set of equations including the horizontal motion of the plume and the additional increase of the plume radius is solved to simulate the time evolution of the plume rise and the smoke injection height. One-dimensional (1-D) model results are presented for two deforestation fires in the Amazon basin with sizes of 10 and 50 ha under calm and windy atmospheric environments. The results are compared to corresponding simulations generated by the complex non-hydrostatic three-dimensional (3-D) Active Tracer High resolution Atmospheric Model (ATHAM). We show that the 1-D model results compare well with the full 3-D simulations. The 1-D model may thus be used in field situations where extensive computing facilities are not available, especially under conditions for which several optional cases must be studied.

An aerosol boomerang: Rapid around‐the‐world transport of smoke from the December 2006 Australian forest fires observed from space

We investigate rapid around‐the‐world transport of a smoke aerosol plume released by intense forest fires in southeastern Australia in December 2006. During the first half of December 2006, southeastern Australia suffered from severe drought and exceptionally high temperatures. On 14 December 2006, a passing cold front in combination with the intense heat from the fires causing pyro‐convective lofting, injected a large mass of aerosol particles into the jet stream. We track the resulting aerosol plume using Aerosol Absorbing Index (AAI) observations from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and find that it circumnavigated the world in 12 days. Using observations from OMI and the CALIOP (Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation) spaceborne lidar, we show that the plume resided in the high troposphere at different stages of its evolution. In absence of CALIOP data, we explored OMI O2‐O2 pressures to obtain information on the aerosol plume height. Detailed radiative transfer calculations suggest that the current OMI O2‐O2 retrievals contain useful information on the altitude of the aerosol plume under specific conditions (high AAI, no clouds below). The observed two‐dimensional evolution of the smoke aerosol plume and the vertical distribution of the plume detected by CALIOP is matched by simulations with the TM4 chemistry transport model for an injection height of 248 hPa (∼10 km). Injection heights at the surface and at 540 hPa (∼5 km) resulted in simulated vertical distributions that were 2–3 km too low relative to CALIOP observations and showed less agreement with the AAI patterns. The high injection altitude of 10 km mimics the effect of pyro‐convective lofting as the additional buoyancy from the intense fires is not accounted for in the model. TM4 simulations with an inert and a water‐soluble tracer reproduce the observed dilution of the plume and show that the latter gives the best agreement with the observations, suggesting that the ultimate removal of the aerosol particles is by scavenging. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed study of around‐the‐world long‐range transport of forest fire emissions in the extratropical Southern Hemisphere.

P123. Biomechanical Comparison of Kyphoplasty vs. a Titanium Mesh Implant for Stabilization of Vertebral Compression Fractures

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Vertebral compression fractures may be stabilized using an expandable balloon followed by cement injection. There are small but finite risks of endplate fracture and cement extravasation with this procedure. Alternative techniques may affect cement injection volumes, height maintenance and biomechanical stability but require investigation.

An operational system for the assimilation of the satellite information on wild-land fires for the needs of air quality modelling and forecasting

Abstract. This paper investigates a potential of two remotely sensed wild-land fire characteristics: 4-μm Brightness Temperature Anomaly (TA) and Fire Radiative Power (FRP) for the needs of operational chemical transport modelling and short-term forecasting of atmospheric composition and air quality. The treatments of the TA and FRP data are presented and a methodology for evaluating the emission fluxes of primary aerosols (PM2.5 and total PM) is described. The method does not include the complicated analysis of vegetation state, fuel load, burning efficiency and related factors, which are uncertain but inevitably involved in approaches based on burnt-area scars or similar products. The core of the current methodology is based on the empirical emission factors that are used to convert the observed temperature anomalies and fire radiative powers into emission fluxes. These factors have been derived from the analysis of several fire episodes in Europe (28.4–5.5.2006, 15.8–25.8.2006 and in August 2008). These episodes were characterised by: (i) well-identified FRP and TA values, and (ii) available ground-based observations of aerosol concentrations, and optical thickness for the regions where the contribution of the fire smoke to the concentrations of PM2.5 was dominant, in comparison with those of other pollution sources. The emission factors were determined separately for the forested and grassland areas; in case of mixed-type land use, an intermediate scaling was assumed. Despite significant differences between the TA and FRP methodologies, an accurate non-linear fitting was found between the predictions of these approaches. The agreement was comparatively weak only for small fires, for which the accuracy of both products is expected to be low. The applications of the Fire Assimilation System (FAS) in combination with the dispersion model SILAM showed that both the TA and FRP products are suitable for the evaluation of the emission fluxes from wild-land fires. The fire-originated concentrations of aerosols (PM2.5, PM10, sulphates and nitrates) and AOD, as predicted by the SILAM model were mainly within a factor of 2–3 compared with the observations. The main challenges of the FAS improvement include refining of the emission factors globally, determination of the types of fires (smouldering vs flaming), evaluation of the injection heights of the plumes, and predicting the temporal evolution of fires.

Particulate mercury emissions in regional wildfire plumes observed at the Mount Bachelor Observatory

Atmospheric mercury is composed primarily of Hg 0 (>95%), but Hg +2 and particle bound mercury are also found in some environments. The three forms of mercury were measured at the Mount Bachelor Observatory beginning in 2005. Using data gathered from 2005 to 2007, 15 periods were identified during which PHg was above the instrument detection limit of 3 pg m −3 for nine or more consecutive hours. Peak PHg concentrations ranged from 6.0 to 44.3 pg m −3. During these events, PHg is strongly correlated with CO and sub-micron aerosol scatter coefficient (typically R 2 > 0.6). Our data suggest that the 15 PHg events were likely due to regional wildfires in California and Oregon. Wildfires were identified as the primary PHg source using a combination of air-mass back-trajectories, MODIS satellite data, and chemical and physical tracers of combustion. Slopes of the PHg/σ sp and PHg/CO relationships ranged from 0.20 to 1.57 pg (Mm −1) −1 and 0.11 to 0.61 pg m −3 ppb −1, respectively. The range of slopes may indicate different types of burning (e.g. flaming vs. smoldering), differing amounts of chemical processing, different fuel sources, or different physical parameters such as the plume injection height. The slopes provide constraints for the relationship between PHg, CO, and aerosol scatter from wildfires. Asian long-range transport was not a source of PHg but we cannot rule out the possibility of local U.S. industrial sources of PHg for some of the events. Assuming our observations are representative of global fire emissions, we estimate that PHg represents 15% of the total mercury released from wildfires and is a source of PHg comparable to anthropogenic sources.

The sensitivity of CO and aerosol transport to the temporal and vertical distribution of North American boreal fire emissions

Abstract. Forest fires in Alaska and western Canada represent important sources of aerosols and trace gases in North America. Among the largest uncertainties when modeling forest fire effects are the timing and injection height of biomass burning emissions. Here we simulate CO and aerosols over North America during the 2004 fire season, using the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model. We apply different temporal distributions and injection height profiles to the biomass burning emissions, and compare model results with satellite-, aircraft-, and ground-based measurements. We find that averaged over the fire season, the use of finer temporal resolved biomass burning emissions usually decreases CO and aerosol concentrations near the fire source region, and often enhances long-range transport. Among the individual temporal constraints, switching from monthly to 8-day time intervals for emissions has the largest effect on CO and aerosol distributions, and shows better agreement with measured day-to-day variability. Injection height substantially modifies the surface concentrations and vertical profiles of pollutants near the source region. Compared with CO, the simulation of black carbon aerosol is more sensitive to the temporal and injection height distribution of emissions. The use of MISR-derived injection heights improves agreement with surface aerosol measurements near the fire source. Our results indicate that the discrepancies between model simulations and MOPITT CO measurements near the Hudson Bay can not be attributed solely to the representation of injection height within the model. Frequent occurrence of strong convection in North America during summer tends to limit the influence of injection height parameterizations of fire emissions in Alaska and western Canada with respect to CO and aerosol distributions over eastern North America.

Injection Heights of Biomass Burning Debris Estimated From WSR-88D Radar Observations

Understanding the vertical distribution of aerosols is critical to accurately determining their effects on air quality. Since current tools for obtaining this information have limited spatial and temporal coverage, we explore the use of Doppler radar data for obtaining the injection heights of biomass burning debris (BBD) produced from large fires in southern Georgia during Spring 2007. Due to their submicrometer sizes, the smoke aerosols are not detected by the radar. Therefore, we use BBD as a possible surrogate for aerosol height since smoke aerosols are often collocated with the debris. Using 32 h of Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radar data from Jacksonville, FL, between May 23 and 25, 2007, the injection heights of BBD (D ~ 1mm) are calculated. Our analysis indicates that the maximum injection height is ~5 km for the strongest fire, with a mean injection height of 3 plusmn 1.0 km. Maximum injection heights are present between 1800 and 0000 UTC, during the late afternoon periods when both the intensity of the fire (based on radar information) and the convective mixing are greatest. The injection heights estimated from this approach represent the first step at providing inputs for future air-quality forecasting applications within numerical simulations, particularly ones that require diurnal information.

Formation of ozone and growth of aerosols in young smoke plumes from biomass burning: 2. Three‐dimensional Eulerian studies

Global‐scale models of atmospheric chemistry (GACMs) “mix” biomass burning emissions into grid boxes with horizontal scales of 10–200 km. This ignores the complex nonlinear transformations that take place in the young smoke plumes. Here we use a new gas‐ and aerosol‐phase chemistry model called Aerosol Simulation Program (ASP) and a 3‐D Eulerian smoke plume model to simulate the fluid dynamics, radiative transfer, gas‐phase chemistry, and aerosol‐phase chemistry of the Timbavati smoke plume observed during SAFARI 2000. We then compare the results of the 3‐D plume model with those of an Eulerian box model, which is used as an analog for the large grid boxes of GACMs. The 3‐D plume model matched the observed plume injection height but required a large minimum horizontal diffusion coefficient to match the observed horizontal dispersion of the plume. Absorption and scattering by smoke aerosols reduced the modeled photolysis rates in the plume by 10–20%. Increasing the heterogeneous production of HONO and H2SO4 in the model and including uncharacterized organic species using monoterpenes as a proxy compound improves the model‐observation match. Direct measurements of OH in the smoke plumes would be an excellent way to determine if heterogeneous production of HONO is taking place. The automatic dilution of smoke plume emissions into the large grid boxes of global models can result in large errors in predicted concentrations of O3, NOx and aerosol species downwind. We discuss several potential approaches that could reduce these errors.

Verification of the NOAA Smoke Forecasting System: Model Sensitivity to the Injection Height

Abstract A detailed evaluation of NOAA’s Smoke Forecasting System (SFS) is a fundamental part of its development and further refinement. In this work, particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5-μm (PM2.5) concentration levels, simulated by the SFS, have been evaluated against satellite and surface measurements. Four multiday forest fire case studies, one covering the continental United States, two in California, and one near the Georgia–Florida border, have been analyzed. The column-integrated PM2.5 concentrations for these cases compared to the satellite measurements showed a similar or better statistical performance than the mean performance of the SFS for the period covering 1 September 2006–1 November 2007. However, near the surface, the model shows a tendency to overpredict the measured PM2.5 concentrations in the western United States and underpredict concentrations for the Georgia–Florida case. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis of the model response to changes in the smoke release height shows that the simulated surface and column-integrated PM2.5 concentrations are very sensitive to variations in this parameter. Indeed, the model capability to represent the measured values is highly dependent on the accuracy of the determination of the actual injection height and in particular to whether the smoke injection actually occurred below or above the planetary boundary layer.

Extratropical waves transport boreal wildfire emissions and drive regional air quality dynamics

A synthesis of data and analyses identified eight separate wildfire events (five in boreal Canada and three in the western United States) that impacted the Pittsburgh Supersite, as well as Toronto, during June and July 2002. These data also revealed a larger structure in the nature of pollution episodes in Pittsburgh characterized by alternating periods of stagnation and cleansing. Stagnation resulted in significant and sustained increases in pollutant concentrations that were eventually flushed by clean air transported from Canada. Stagnation events were further characterized by decreases in wind speed, increases in ambient temperature, and enhanced atmospheric processing. Reverse trends were observed during the “clean” periods. Wildfire emissions consistently arrived immediately prior to the stagnation events and tended to be trapped and recirculated by the associated surface high pressure system, prolonging their impact. These receptor site dynamics were correlated to the structure and propagation of transient extratropical synoptic‐scale waves, which were characterized by eastward propagating transcontinental trough‐ridge‐trough configurations. Temporal patterns observed in the Pittsburgh data (a repeating sequence of long‐range transport followed by stagnation and then flushing) were in phase with alternating synoptic structures of the propagating waves. Northwesterly subsiding flow between the ridge and trough transported wildfire emissions from the injection height above the fires down into the Pittsburgh and Toronto air sheds. As the wave propagated, the surface high associated with the upper‐level ridge passed Pittsburgh, initiating a stagnation event. The cold front associated with the approaching trough flushed the stagnant air but reset the sequence of events as emissions from new wildfires were again transported behind the front. The sequence consistently repeated throughout the study period with a frequency directly correlated to the frequency of extratropical wave formation. Stagnation severity was related to the speed and maturity of the synoptic disturbances while wildfire impact severity corresponded to fire size.