title: Vegetation fires and air pollution in Vietnam.
abstract: Forest fires are a significant source of air pollution in Asia. In this study, we integrate satellite remote sensing data and ground-based measurements to infer fire-air pollution relationships in selected regions of Vietnam. We first characterized the active fires and burnt areas at a regional scale from MODIS satellite data. We then used satellite-derived active fire data to correlate the resulting atmospheric pollution. Further, we analyzed the relationship between satellite atmospheric variables and ground-based air pollutant parameters. Our results show peak fire activity during March in Vietnam, with hotspots in the Northwest and Central Highlands. Active fires were significantly correlated with UV Aerosol Index (UVAI), aerosol extinction absorption optical depth (AAOD), and Carbon Monoxide. The use of satellite aerosol optical thickness improved the prediction of Particulate Matter (PM) concentration significantly.
authors.affiliation: University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, E3, 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Viet Nam. Electronic address: ltha@vnu.edu.vn.
authors.forename: Thanh Ha
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, E3, 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Thi Nhat
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Thanh Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
authors.forename: Kristofer
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lasko
authors.affiliation: Sigma Space Corporation, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Shriram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ilavajhala
authors.affiliation: Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
authors.forename: Krishna Prasad
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Vadrevu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Justice
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005390:Fires / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D014744:Vietnam
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D052638:Particulate Matter; D002248:Carbon Monoxide
keywords: Active fires; Atmospheric variables; Biomass burning; Particulate matter concentration; Vietnam