scholarly journals Connecting smoke plumes to sources using Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke and fire location data over North America

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Brey ◽  
Mark Ruminski ◽  
Samuel A. Atwood ◽  
Emily V. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
North America ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Emissions Inventory ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
The North ◽  
Mapping System ◽  
Smoke Plumes

Abstract. Fires represent an air quality challenge because they are large, dynamic and transient sources of particulate matter and ozone precursors. Transported smoke can deteriorate air quality over large regions. Fire severity and frequency are likely to increase in the future, exacerbating an existing problem. Using the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke data for North America for the period 2007 to 2014, we examine a subset of fires that are confirmed to have produced sufficient smoke to warrant the initiation of a U.S. National Weather Service smoke forecast. We find that gridded HMS analyzed fires are well correlated (r = 0.84) with emissions from the Global Fire Emissions Inventory Database 4s (GFED4s). We define a new metric, smoke hours, by linking observed smoke plumes to active fires using ensembles of forward trajectories. This work shows that the Southwest, Northwest, and Northwest Territories trigger the most air quality forecasts, and produce more smoke than any other North American region by measure of the number of HYSPIT points analyzed, the duration of those HYSPLIT points, and the total number of smoke hours produced. The average number of days with smoke plumes overhead is largest over the north-central U.S. Only Alaska, the Northwest, the Southwest, and Southeast U.S. regions produce the majority of smoke plumes observed over their own borders. This work moves a new dataset from a daily operational setting to a research context, and it demonstrates how changes to the frequency or intensity of fires in the western U.S. could impact other regions.

scholarly journals Connecting smoke plumes to sources using Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke and fire location data over North America

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1745-1761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Brey ◽  
Mark Ruminski ◽  
Samuel A. Atwood ◽  
Emily V. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
North America ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
The North ◽  
Mapping System ◽  
Smoke Plumes

Abstract. Fires represent an air quality challenge because they are large, dynamic and transient sources of particulate matter and ozone precursors. Transported smoke can deteriorate air quality over large regions. Fire severity and frequency are likely to increase in the future, exacerbating an existing problem. Using the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke data for North America for the period 2007 to 2014, we examine a subset of fires that are confirmed to have produced sufficient smoke to warrant the initiation of a U.S. National Weather Service smoke forecast. We find that gridded HMS-analyzed fires are well correlated (r= 0.84) with emissions from the Global Fire Emissions Inventory Database 4s (GFED4s). We define a new metric, smoke hours, by linking observed smoke plumes to active fires using ensembles of forward trajectories. This work shows that the Southwest, Northwest, and Northwest Territories initiate the most air quality forecasts and produce more smoke than any other North American region by measure of the number of HYSPLIT points analyzed, the duration of those HYSPLIT points, and the total number of smoke hours produced. The average number of days with smoke plumes overhead is largest over the north-central United States. Only Alaska, the Northwest, the Southwest, and Southeast United States regions produce the majority of smoke plumes observed over their own borders. This work moves a new dataset from a daily operational setting to a research context, and it demonstrates how changes to the frequency or intensity of fires in the western United States could impact other regions.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Fires to TES Observations of Free Tropospheric PAN over North America in July

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily V. Fischer ◽  
Liye Zhu ◽  
Vivienne H. Payne ◽  
John R. Worden ◽  
Zhe Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Colorado Front Range ◽  
Ozone Production ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Mapping System ◽  
Smoke Plumes ◽  
In Situ Observations

Abstract. Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) is a critical atmospheric reservoir for nitrogen oxide radicals, and it plays a lead role in their redistribution in the troposphere. We analyze new Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) PAN observations over North America during July 2006 to 2009. Using aircraft observations from the Colorado Front Range, we demonstrate that TES can be sensitive to elevated PAN in the boundary layer even in the presence of clouds. In situ observations have shown that wildfire emissions can rapidly produce PAN, and PAN decomposition is an important component of ozone production in smoke plumes. We identify smoke-impacted TES PAN retrievals by co-location with NOAA Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke plumes. We find that 15–32 % of cases where elevated PAN is identified in TES observations (retrievals with DOF > 0.6) overlap smoke plumes. A case study of smoke transport in July 2007 illustrates that PAN enhancements associated with HMS smoke plumes can be connected to fire complexes, providing evidence that TES is sufficiently sensitive to measure elevated PAN several days downwind of major fires. Using a subset of retrievals with TES 510 hPa carbon monoxide (CO) > 150 ppbv, and multiple estimates of background PAN, we calculate enhancement ratios for tropospheric average PAN relative to CO in smoke-impacted retrievals. Most of the TES-based enhancement ratios fall within the range calculated from in situ measurements.

scholarly journals Global fire emissions estimates during 1997–2015

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido R. van der Werf ◽  
James T. Randerson ◽  
Louis Giglio ◽  
Thijs T. van Leeuwen ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Climate, land use, and other anthropogenic and natural drivers have the potential to influence fire dynamics in many regions. To develop a mechanistic understanding of the changing role of these drivers and their impact on atmospheric composition, long term fire records are needed that fuse information from different satellite and in-situ data streams. Here we describe the fourth version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) and quantify global fire emissions patterns during 1997–2015. The modeling system, based on the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford-Approach (CASA) biogeochemical model, has several modifications from the previous version and uses higher quality input datasets. Significant upgrades include: 1) new burned area estimates with contributions from small fires, 2) a revised fuel consumption parameterization optimized using field observations, 3) modifications that improve the representation of fuel consumption in frequently burning landscapes, and 4) fire severity estimates that better represent continental differences in burning processes across boreal regions of North America and Eurasia. The new version has a higher spatial resolution (0.25°) and uses a different set of emission factors that separately resolves trace gas and aerosol emissions from temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. Global mean carbon emissions using the burned area dataset with small fires (GFED4s) were 2.2 x 1015 grams carbon per year (Pg C yr-1) during 1997–2015, with a maximum in 1997 (3.0 Pg C yr-1) and minimum in 2013 (1.8 Pg C yr-1). These estimates were 11 % higher than our previous estimates (GFED3) during 1997–2011, when the two datasets overlapped. This increase was the result of a substantial increase in burned area (37 %), mostly due to the inclusion of small fires, and a modest decrease in mean fuel consumption (–19 %) to better match estimates from field studies, primarily in savannas and grasslands. For trace gas and aerosol emissions, differences between GFED4s and GFED3 were often larger due to the use of revised emission factors. If small fire burned area was excluded (GFED4 without the "s" for small fires), average emissions were 1.5 Pg C yr-1. The addition of small fires had the largest impact on emissions in temperate North America, Central America, Europe, and temperate Asia. Our improved dataset provides an internally consistent set of burned area and emissions that may contribute to a better understanding of multi-decadal changes in fire dynamics and their impact on the Earth System. GFED data is available from http://www.globalfiredata.org.

scholarly journals Evaluating a fire smoke simulation algorithm in the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) by using multiple observation data sets during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field campaign

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2169-2184
Author(s):  
Li Pan ◽  
HyunCheol Kim ◽  
Pius Lee ◽  
Rick Saylor ◽  
YouHua Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Smoke Plume ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Multiple Data Sets

Abstract. Multiple observation data sets – Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network data, the Automated Smoke Detection and Tracking Algorithm (ASDTA), Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke plume shapefiles and aircraft acetonitrile (CH3CN) measurements from the NOAA Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field campaign – are used to evaluate the HMS–BlueSky–SMOKE (Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emission)–CMAQ (Community Multi-scale Air Quality Model) fire emissions and smoke plume prediction system. A similar configuration is used in the US National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC). The system was found to capture most of the observed fire signals. Usage of HMS-detected fire hotspots and smoke plume information was valuable for deriving both fire emissions and forecast evaluation. This study also identified that the operational NAQFC did not include fire contributions through lateral boundary conditions, resulting in significant simulation uncertainties. In this study we focused both on system evaluation and evaluation methods. We discussed how to use observational data correctly to retrieve fire signals and synergistically use multiple data sets. We also addressed the limitations of each of the observation data sets and evaluation methods.

scholarly journals Global fire emissions estimates during 1997–2016

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 697-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido R. van der Werf ◽  
James T. Randerson ◽  
Louis Giglio ◽  
Thijs T. van Leeuwen ◽  
Yang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Aerosol Emissions

Abstract. Climate, land use, and other anthropogenic and natural drivers have the potential to influence fire dynamics in many regions. To develop a mechanistic understanding of the changing role of these drivers and their impact on atmospheric composition, long-term fire records are needed that fuse information from different satellite and in situ data streams. Here we describe the fourth version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) and quantify global fire emissions patterns during 1997–2016. The modeling system, based on the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) biogeochemical model, has several modifications from the previous version and uses higher quality input datasets. Significant upgrades include (1) new burned area estimates with contributions from small fires, (2) a revised fuel consumption parameterization optimized using field observations, (3) modifications that improve the representation of fuel consumption in frequently burning landscapes, and (4) fire severity estimates that better represent continental differences in burning processes across boreal regions of North America and Eurasia. The new version has a higher spatial resolution (0.25°) and uses a different set of emission factors that separately resolves trace gas and aerosol emissions from temperate and boreal forest ecosystems. Global mean carbon emissions using the burned area dataset with small fires (GFED4s) were 2.2  ×  1015 grams of carbon per year (Pg C yr−1) during 1997–2016, with a maximum in 1997 (3.0 Pg C yr−1) and minimum in 2013 (1.8 Pg C yr−1). These estimates were 11 % higher than our previous estimates (GFED3) during 1997–2011, when the two datasets overlapped. This net increase was the result of a substantial increase in burned area (37 %), mostly due to the inclusion of small fires, and a modest decrease in mean fuel consumption (−19 %) to better match estimates from field studies, primarily in savannas and grasslands. For trace gas and aerosol emissions, differences between GFED4s and GFED3 were often larger due to the use of revised emission factors. If small fire burned area was excluded (GFED4 without the s for small fires), average emissions were 1.5 Pg C yr−1. The addition of small fires had the largest impact on emissions in temperate North America, Central America, Europe, and temperate Asia. This small fire layer carries substantial uncertainties; improving these estimates will require use of new burned area products derived from high-resolution satellite imagery. Our revised dataset provides an internally consistent set of burned area and emissions that may contribute to a better understanding of multi-decadal changes in fire dynamics and their impact on the Earth system. GFED data are available from http://www.globalfiredata.org.

scholarly journals Evaluating a fire smoke simulation algorithm in the National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) by using multiple observation data sets during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field campaign

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Pan ◽  
Hyun Cheol Kim ◽  
Pius Lee ◽  
Rick Saylor ◽  
YouHua Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Hazard Mapping ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Field Campaign ◽  
Smoke Plume ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Air Quality Forecast ◽  
Multiple Data Sets

Abstract. Multiple observation data sets, including Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network data, Automated Smoke Detection and Tracking Algorithm (ASDTA), Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke plume shapefiles and aircraft acetonitrile (CH3CN) measurements from the NOAA Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field campaign are used to evaluate the HMS-BlueSky-SMOKE-CMAQ fire emissions and smoke plume prediction system. A similar configuration is used in the National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC). The system was found to capture signatures of most of the observed fire signals. Use of HMS-detected fire hotspots and smoke plume information are valuable for both initiating fire emissions and evaluating model simulations. However, we also found that the current system does not include fire contributions through lateral boundary condition and missed fires that are not associated with visible smoke plumes resulting in significant simulation uncertainties. In this study we focused not only on model evaluation but also on evaluation methods. We discuss how to use observational data correctly to filter out fire signals and synergistic use of multiple data sets together. We also address the limitations of each of the observation data sets and of the evaluation methods.

scholarly journals How emissions uncertainty influences the distribution and radiative impacts of smoke from fires in North America

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 2073-2097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese S. Carter ◽  
Colette L. Heald ◽  
Jose L. Jimenez ◽  
Pedro Campuzano-Jost ◽  
Yutaka Kondo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
North America ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Organic Aerosol ◽  
Carbonaceous Aerosol ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Emission Inventories ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Radiative Impacts

Abstract. Fires and the aerosols that they emit impact air quality, health, and climate, but the abundance and properties of carbonaceous aerosol (both black carbon and organic carbon) from biomass burning (BB) remain uncertain and poorly constrained. We aim to explore the uncertainties associated with fire emissions and their air quality and radiative impacts from underlying dry matter consumed and emissions factors. To investigate this, we compare model simulations from a global chemical transport model, GEOS-Chem, driven by a variety of fire emission inventories with surface and airborne observations of black carbon (BC) and organic aerosol (OA) concentrations and satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD). We focus on two fire-detection-based and/or burned-area-based (FD-BA) inventories using burned area and active fire counts, respectively, i.e., the Global Fire Emissions Database version 4 (GFED4s) with small fires and the Fire INventory from NCAR version 1.5 (FINN1.5), and two fire radiative power (FRP)-based approaches, i.e., the Quick Fire Emission Dataset version 2.4 (QFED2.4) and the Global Fire Assimilation System version 1.2 (GFAS1.2). We show that, across the inventories, emissions of BB aerosol (BBA) differ by a factor of 4 to 7 over North America and that dry matter differences, not emissions factors, drive this spread. We find that simulations driven by QFED2.4 generally overestimate BC and, to a lesser extent, OA concentrations observations from two fire-influenced aircraft campaigns in North America (ARCTAS and DC3) and from the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) network, while simulations driven by FINN1.5 substantially underestimate concentrations. The GFED4s and GFAS1.2-driven simulations provide the best agreement with OA and BC mass concentrations at the surface (IMPROVE), BC observed aloft (DC3 and ARCTAS), and AOD observed by MODIS over North America. We also show that a sensitivity simulation including an enhanced source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from fires, based on the NOAA Fire Lab 2016 experiments, produces substantial additional OA; however, the spread in the primary emissions estimates implies that this magnitude of SOA can be neither confirmed nor ruled out when comparing the simulations against the observations explored here. Given the substantial uncertainty in fire emissions, as represented by these four emission inventories, we find a sizeable range in 2012 annual BBA PM2.5 population-weighted exposure over Canada and the contiguous US (0.5 to 1.6 µg m−3). We also show that the range in the estimated global direct radiative effect of carbonaceous aerosol from fires (−0.11 to −0.048 W m−2) is large and comparable to the direct radiative forcing of OA (−0.09 W m−2) estimated in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Our analysis suggests that fire emissions uncertainty challenges our ability to accurately characterize the impact of smoke on air quality and climate.

scholarly journals Future threat to boreal ecosystem health from wildfire air pollution

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Yue ◽  
Susanna Strada ◽  
Nadine Unger
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Damage Threshold ◽  
Surface Solar Radiation ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
The North ◽  
Boreal Ecosystem ◽  
Surface O3

Abstract. Biomass burning is an important source of tropospheric ozone (O3) and aerosols. These air pollutants can affect vegetation photosynthesis through stomatal uptake (for O3) and light scattering (for aerosols). Climate change will significantly increase wildfire activity in boreal North America by the midcentury, while little is known about the impacts of enhanced emissions on the terrestrial carbon budget. Here, combining site-level and satellite observations and a carbon-chemistry-climate model, we estimate the impacts of fire emitted O3 and aerosols on net primary productivity (NPP) over boreal North America. Fire emissions are calculated based on an ensemble projection from 13 climate models. In the present day, wildfire enhances surface O3 by 2 ppbv (7 %) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm by 0.03 (26 %) in the summer. By midcentury, boreal area burned is predicted to increase by 66 %, contributing more O3 (13 %) and aerosols (37 %). Fire O3 causes negligible impacts on NPP because ambient O3 concentration is far below the damage threshold of 40 ppbv. Fire aerosols reduce surface solar radiation but enhance atmospheric absorption, resulting in enhanced air stability and intensified regional drought. The domain of this drying is confined to the North in the present day, but extends southward by 2050 due to increased fire emissions. Consequently, wildfire aerosols enhance NPP by 72 Tg C yr-1 in the present day but decrease NPP by 118 Tg C yr-1 in the future, mainly because of the soil moisture perturbations. Our results suggest that future wildfire may accelerate boreal carbon loss, not only through direct emissions, but also through the biophysical impacts of fire aerosols.

scholarly journals Differences in the Prevalence of Clinical Adjacent Segment Pathology among Continents after Anterior Cervical Fusion: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 4125
Author(s):  
Young-Woo Chung ◽  
Sung-Kyu Kim ◽  
Yong-Jin Park
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Technical Information ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Adjacent Segment ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
The North

Development of adjacent segment pathology leading to secondary operation is a matter of concern after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Some studies have reported anatomic difference between races, but no epidemiological data on prevalence of clinical adjacent segment pathology (cASP) among races or continents has been published. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of cASP that underwent surgery after monosegmental ACDF among continents by meta-analysis. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library with manual searching in key journals, reference lists, and the National Technical Information Service were searched from inception to December 2018. Twenty studies with a total of 2009 patients were included in the meta-analysis. We extracted the publication details, sample size, and prevalence of cASP that underwent surgery. A total of 15 papers from North America, three from Europe, and two from Asia met the inclusion criteria. A total number of 2009 patients underwent monosegmental ACDF, and 113 patients (5.62%) among them had cASP that underwent surgery. The rate of cASP that underwent surgery was 4.99% in the North America, 3.65% in the Europe, 6.34% in the Asia, and there were no statistically significant differences (p = 0.63). The current study using the method of meta-analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in the rate of cASP that underwent surgery after ACDF among the continents.

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