A Preliminary Case Study on the Compounding Effects of Local Emissions and Upstream Wildfires on Urban Air Pollution

Author:

Mendoza Daniel L.123ORCID,Crosman Erik T.4ORCID,Benney Tabitha M.5ORCID,Anderson Corbin6,Gonzales Shawn A.6

Affiliation:

1. Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Utah, 135 S 1460 E, Room 819, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

2. Pulmonary Division, School of Medicine, University of Utah, 26 N 1900 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA

3. Department of City & Metropolitan Planning, University of Utah, 375 S 1530 E, Suite 220, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

4. Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Natural Sciences Building 343, Canyon, TX 79016, USA

5. Department of Political Science, University of Utah, 260 S Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA

6. Salt Lake County Health Department, Air Quality Bureau, Environmental Health Division, 788 E Woodoak Lane, Murray, UT 84107, USA

Abstract

Interactions between urban and wildfire pollution emissions are active areas of research, with numerous aircraft field campaigns and satellite analyses of wildfire pollution being conducted in recent years. Several studies have found that elevated ozone and particulate pollution levels are both generally associated with wildfire smoke in urban areas. We measured pollutant concentrations at two Utah Division of Air Quality regulatory air quality observation sites and a local hot spot (a COVID-19 testing site) within a 48 h period of increasing wildfire smoke impacts that occurred in Salt Lake City, UT (USA) between 20 and 22 August 2020. The wildfire plume, which passed through the study area during an elevated ozone period during the summer, resulted in increased criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas concentrations. Methane (CH4) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increased at comparable rates, and increased NOx led to more ozone. The nitrogen oxide/ozone (NOx/O3) cycle was clearly demonstrated throughout the study period, with NOx titration reducing nighttime ozone. These findings help to illustrate how the compounding effects of urban emissions and exceptional pollution events, such as wildfires, may pose substantial health risks. This preliminary case study supports conducting an expanded, longer-term study on the interactions of variable intensity wildfire smoke plumes on urban air pollution exposure, in addition to the subsequent need to inform health and risk policy in these complex systems.

Publisher

MDPI AG

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