Abstract View
Identifying the Influence of Wildland Fires on Air Quality Monitoring Data
R BYRON RICE, Stephen McDow, Katie Boaggio, Mckayla Lein, U.S. EPA
Abstract Number: 111
Working Group: Remote and Regional Atmospheric Aerosol
Abstract
Identifying and quantifying the influence of wildland fires on ambient air quality is an emerging topic of interest relevant to the assessment of public health and environmental impacts of air pollution. The influence of wildland fires on monitor concentrations is generally established by the demonstration of unusually high concentrations compared to typical seasonal levels, combined with clear evidence that fire emissions were transported to the monitor, such as wind trajectory analysis or satellite imagery. However, the application of these approaches has been largely limited to the most extreme events. By linking known wildland fires to air quality monitoring station locations over a broad range of concentrations using the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) database and other fire location data sources, we will analyze common trends in the composition of air quality monitoring data and determine if these trends can indicate the likelihood of influence from wildland fires. Ultimately, we seek to develop a systematic and reproducible method for identifying instances of wildland fire influence on air quality monitoring data. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.