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Chen D, Billmire M, Loughner CP, Bredder A, French NHF, Kim HC, Loboda TV. Simulating spatio-temporal dynamics of surface PM 2.5 emitted from Alaskan wildfires. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 898:165594. [PMID: 37467978 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Wildfire is a major disturbance agent in Arctic boreal and tundra ecosystems that emits large quantities of atmospheric pollutants, including PM2.5. Under the substantial Arctic warming which is two to three times of global average, wildfire regimes in the high northern latitude regions are expected to intensify. This imposes a considerable threat to the health of the people residing in the Arctic regions. Alaska, as the northernmost state of the US, has a sizable rural population whose access to healthcare is greatly limited by a lack of transportation and telecommunication infrastructure and low accessibility. Unfortunately, there are only a few air quality monitoring stations across the state of Alaska, and the air quality of most remote Alaskan communities is not being systematically monitored, which hinders our understanding of the relationship between wildfire emissions and human health within these communities. Models simulating the dispersion of pollutants emitted by wildfires can be extremely valuable for providing spatially comprehensive air quality estimates in areas such as Alaska where the monitoring station network is sparse. In this study, we established a methodological framework that is based on an integration of the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, the Wildland Fire Emissions Inventory System (WFEIS), and the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Wildfire Date of Burning (WDoB) dataset, an Arctic-oriented fire product. Through our framework, daily gridded surface-level PM2.5 concentrations for the entire state of Alaska between 2001 and 2015 for which wildfires are responsible can be estimated. This product reveals the spatio-temporal patterns of the impacts of wildfires on the regional air quality in Alaska, which, in turn, offers a direct line of evidence indicating that wildfire is the dominant driver of PM2.5 concentrations over Alaska during the fire season. Additionally, it provides critical data inputs for research on understanding how wildfires affect human health which creates the basis for the development of effective and efficient mitigation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Chen
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Michael Billmire
- Michigan Tech Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Christopher P Loughner
- Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Allison Bredder
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Nancy H F French
- Michigan Tech Research Institute, Michigan Technological University, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Hyun Cheol Kim
- Air Resources Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, College Park, MD, USA; Cooperative Institute for Satellite Earth System Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Tatiana V Loboda
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
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Yousefi R, Shaheen A, Wang F, Ge Q, Wu R, Lelieveld J, Wang J, Su X. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) trends from land surface changes and air pollution policies in China during 1980-2020. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 326:116847. [PMID: 36436250 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
High levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pose a severe air pollution challenge in China. Both land use changes and anthropogenic emissions can affect PM2.5 concentrations. Only a few studies have addressed the long-term impact of land surface changes on PM2.5 in China. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of PM2.5 trends over China using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) during 1980-2020. The monthly mean PM2.5 concentrations of MERRA-2 were evaluated across mainland China against independent surface measurements from 2013 to 2020, showing a good agreement. For the trend analysis, China was subdivided into six regions based on land use and ambient aerosols types. Our results indicate an overall significant PM2.5 increase over China during 1980-2020 with major changes in-between. Notwithstanding continued urbanization and associated anthropogenic activities, the PM2.5 reversed to a downward trend around 2007 over most regions except for the part of China that is most affected by desert dust. Statistical analysis suggests that PM2.5 trends during 1980-2010 were associated with urban expansion and deforestation over eastern and southern China. The trend reversal around 2007 is mainly attributed to Chinese air pollution control measures. A multiple linear regression analysis reveals that PM2.5 variability is linked to soil moisture and vegetation. Our results suggest that land use and land cover changes as well as pollution controls strongly influenced PM2.5 trends and that drought conditions affect PM2.5 particularly over desert and forest regions of China. This work contributes to a better understanding of the changes in PM2.5 over China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robabeh Yousefi
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Abdallah Shaheen
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Quansheng Ge
- Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Renguang Wu
- School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jos Lelieveld
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany; Climate and Atmosphere Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Iowa Technology Institute, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Xiaokang Su
- College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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Spring 2020 Atmospheric Aerosol Contamination over Kyiv City. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13050687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Extraordinarily high aerosol contamination was observed in the atmosphere over the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, during the March–April 2020 period. The source of contamination was the large grass and forest fires in the northern part of Ukraine and the Kyiv region. The level of PM2.5 load was investigated using newly established AirVisual sensor mini-networks in five areas of the city. The aerosol data from the Kyiv AERONET sun-photometer site were analyzed for that period. Aerosol optical depth, Ångström exponent, and the aerosol particles properties (particle size distribution, single-scattering albedo, and complex refractive index) were analyzed using AERONET sun-photometer observations. The smoke particles observed at Kyiv site during the fires in general correspond to aerosol with optical properties of biomass burning aerosol. The variability of the optical properties and chemical composition indicates that the aerosol particles in the smoke plumes over Kyiv city were produced by different burning materials and phases of vegetation fires at different times. The case of enormous PM2.5 aerosol contamination in the Kyiv city reveals the need to implement strong measures for forest fire control and prevention in the Kyiv region, especially in its northwest part, where radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl disaster is still significant.
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Smoke Injection Heights from Forest and Grassland Fires in Southwest China Observed by CALIPSO. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13030390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Smoke injection height (SIH) determines the distance and direction of smoke transport, thus impacting the atmospheric environment. In this study, we used Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations data coupled with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model to derive the SIH values during the peak forest and grassland fire seasons from 2012 to 2017 in Southwest China. The results suggest that the SIH values ranged from 2500 m to 2890 m. An analysis of the dependence of SIH on fire characteristics revealed no obvious correlation between SIH and fire radiative power (FRP) because other factors in addition to FRP have an important impact on SIH. Moreover, MODIS FRP data has a drawback in representing the energy released by real fires, also leading to this result. The topographic variables of forest and grassland fires in Southwest China are very different. Complex topography affects SIH by affecting fire intensity and interactions with wind. A comparison of the SIHs with boundary layer height reveals that 75% of the SIHs are above the boundary layer. Compared with other areas, a higher percentage of free troposphere injection occurs in Southwest China, indicating that smoke can cause air pollution over large ranges. Our work provides a better understanding of the transport and vertical distribution of smoke in Southwest China.
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Abstract
The strong economic growth in China in recent decades, together with meteorological factors, has resulted in serious air pollution problems, in particular over large industrialized areas with high population density. To reduce the concentrations of pollutants, air pollution control policies have been successfully implemented, resulting in the gradual decrease of air pollution in China during the last decade, as evidenced from both satellite and ground-based measurements. The aims of the Dragon 4 project “Air quality over China” were the determination of trends in the concentrations of aerosols and trace gases, quantification of emissions using a top-down approach and gain a better understanding of the sources, transport and underlying processes contributing to air pollution. This was achieved through (a) satellite observations of trace gases and aerosols to study the temporal and spatial variability of air pollutants; (b) derivation of trace gas emissions from satellite observations to study sources of air pollution and improve air quality modeling; and (c) study effects of haze on air quality. In these studies, the satellite observations are complemented with ground-based observations and modeling.
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