Simulation of air quality impacts from prescribed fires on an urban area.
On February 28, 2007, a severe smoke event caused by prescribed forest fires occurred in Atlanta, GA. Later smoke events in the southeastern metropolitan areas of the United States caused by the Georgia-Florida wild forest fires further magnified the significance of forest fire emissions and the benefits of being able to accurately predict such occurrences. By using preburning information, we utilize an operational forecasting system to simulate the potential air quality impacts from two large February 28th fires. Our "forecast" predicts that the scheduled prescribed fires would have resulted in over 1 million Atlanta residents being potentially exposed to fine particle matter (PM2.5) levels of 35 microg m(-3) or higher from 4 p.m. to midnight. The simulated peak 1 h PM2.5 concentration is about 121 microg m(-3). Our study suggests that the current air quality forecasting technology can be a useful tool for helping the management of fire activities to protect public health. With postburning information, our "hindcast" predictions improved significantly on timing and location and slightly on peak values. "Hindcast" simulations also indicated that additional isoprenoid emissions from pine species temporarily triggered by the fire could induce rapid ozone and secondary organic aerosol formation during late winter. Results from this study suggest that fire induced biogenic volatile organic compounds emissions missing from current fire emissions estimate should be included in the future.
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. yh29@mail.gatech.edu
Yongtao
Y
Hu
M Talat
MT
Odman
Michael E
ME
Chang
William
W
Jackson
Sangil
S
Lee
Eric S
ES
Edgerton
Karsten
K
Baumann
Armistead G
AG
Russell
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005390:Fires; D005845:Georgia
D000393:Air Pollutants