The Health Effects Of Urban Air Pollution In Colorado

Author : Lexy Ezrah-Jade Elizalde
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (139 download)

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Download or read book Wildfire Smoke and Urban Air Pollution written by Lexy Ezrah-Jade Elizalde and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildfire smoke has greatly contributed to worsening air quality across the western US, including contributions to in-situ near-surface ozone (O3) production as the precursors react with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOxs), and sunlight to produce high concentrations of O3 in urban areas. As wildfire events are projected to increase in the future, it is important to understand how this process may impact the attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) requirements in such regions. This study examines summertime surface O3 concentration during multiday smoke events over the Denver Metro Northern Colorado Front Range (DMNFR) in 2020 and 2021 compared to minimal/no-smoke days in 2019. These cases are identified by analyzing archived air quality data from ground-based monitoring sites where O3 and/or fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations may be elevated. We compare these data to plume densities from NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System (HMS) and visible satellite imagery from NASA’s Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). Proximal ( 400 km radius from DMNFR) and distal ( 400 km radius from DMNFR) smoke events are then identified using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) modeling system to determine smoke sources in relation to the air quality monitors’ location. Days that contain both proximal and distal smoke are referred to as “mixed.” This analysis is used to determine how different ages of smoke events are likely responsible for producing maximum daily 8-hr O3 exceedances in the DMNFR’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) nonattainment zone. Results suggest that with smoke present, there is an enhancement in O3 concentration with co-occurrence of low-moderate concentration of PM2.5 in an urban region. This enhancement is even larger when the plume contains mixed smoke. Diurnal variations of upslope/downslope wind mechanisms also contribute to the timing of O3-rise/stagnation and PM2.5 recorded maximums.