Colorado air quality impacted by long-range-transported aerosol: a set of case studies during the 2015 Pacific Northwest fires
Biomass burning plumes containing aerosols from forest fires can be transported long distances, which can ultimately impact climate and air quality in regions far from the source. Interestingly, these fires can inject aerosols other than smoke into the atmosphere, which very few studies have evi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-09-01
|
| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/16/12329/2016/acp-16-12329-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | Biomass burning plumes containing aerosols from forest fires can be
transported long distances, which can ultimately impact climate and air
quality in regions far from the source. Interestingly, these fires can inject
aerosols other than smoke into the atmosphere, which very few studies have
evidenced. Here, we demonstrate a set of case studies of long-range transport
of mineral dust aerosols in addition to smoke from numerous fires (including
predominantly forest fires and a few grass/shrub fires) in the Pacific
Northwest to Colorado, US. These aerosols were detected in Boulder, Colorado,
along the Front Range using beta-ray attenuation and energy-dispersive X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy, and corroborated with satellite-borne lidar
observations of smoke and dust. Further, we examined the transport pathways
of these aerosols using air mass trajectory analysis and regional- and
synoptic-scale meteorological dynamics. Three separate events with poor air
quality and increased mass concentrations of metals from biomass burning (S
and K) and minerals (Al, Si, Ca, Fe, and Ti) occurred due to the introduction
of smoke and dust from regional- and synoptic-scale winds. Cleaner time
periods with good air quality and lesser concentrations of biomass burning
and mineral metals between the haze events were due to the advection of smoke
and dust away from the region. Dust and smoke present in biomass burning haze
can have diverse impacts on visibility, health, cloud formation, and surface
radiation. Thus, it is important to understand how aerosol populations can be
influenced by long-range-transported aerosols, particularly those emitted
from large source contributors such as wildfires. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |