Influence of Biomass Burning Events on Aerosol Optical Depth in Sao Paulo, Brazil

MARIA OLIVEIRA, Regina Maura Miranda, University of São Paulo

     Abstract Number: 334
     Working Group: Aerosol Physics

Abstract
The air quality in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP), with more than 20 million inhabitants, 8 million vehicles, as well as the major industrial and technological park of Brazil, is influenced by local sources of pollution, mainly from vehicles and industries, but there is a concern about the role of remote sources in the concentration of particulate matter, such as forest fire events, which occur mainly in the interior regions of Brazil. This study was conducted with the objective of understanding and quantifying the impact of these biomass burning events on air quality in the MASP, investigating the relationship between burning events, aerosols optical depth (AOD), variation in the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 and surface meteorological conditions, using a database from 2005 to 2021. Days with high AOD were selected, more frequent in September, and related to the increase in the number of fire events in the country. The results indicate that biomass burning events, even occurring hundreds of kilometers away from São Paulo, can reach the region through transport by air masses at high levels in the atmosphere, increasing the concentration of pollutants, mainly aerosols, worsening the surface air quality and being harmful to human health.