The fires are becoming a larger factor in air pollution, especially as emissions from human activities are diminishing because of more efficient combustion processes in motor vehicles and industrial facilities. Wildfires have been increasing in the Pacific Northwest and other regions of North America, due to a combination of climate change, increased development, and land use policies. The paper was co-authored by researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder Columbia University NASA Tsinghua University and Colorado State University. National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor.
The research was funded in part by the U.S. The study was published this week in Nature Communications. They focused on three North American regions: the Pacific Northwest, the central United States, and the Northeast.īuchholz said the findings were particularly striking because carbon monoxide levels have been otherwise decreasing, both globally and across North America, due to improvements in pollution-control technologies. The research team used satellite-based observations of atmospheric chemistry and global inventories of fires to track wildfire emissions during most of the past two decades, as well as computer modeling to analyze the potential impacts of the smoke. "It's quite clear that there is a new peak of air pollution in August that didn't used to exist."Īlthough carbon monoxide generally is not a significant health concern outdoors, the gas indicates the presence of more harmful pollutants, including aerosols (airborne particulates) and ground-level ozone that tends to form on hot summer days. "Wildfire emissions have increased so substantially that they're changing the annual pattern of air quality across North America," said NCAR scientist Rebecca Buchholz, the lead author. Carbon monoxide levels are normally lower in the summer because of chemical reactions in the atmosphere related to changes in sunlight, and the finding that their levels have jumped indicates the extent of the smoke's impacts. “We may already be seeing consequences of these fires on the health of residents who live hundreds or even thousands of miles downwind.The research, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), found that levels of carbon monoxide - a gas that indicates the presence of other air pollutants - have increased sharply as wildfires spread in August. “It’s clear that more research is needed into the health implications of all this smoke,” Buchholz said. These types of pollutants have a history of impacting respiratory health, cardiovascular symptoms, and pregnancy outcomes. The fear now is that this spike in air pollution will negatively affect consumers’ health – especially since the source of the pollution comes from wildfire emissions. “It’s particularly unfortunate that these fires are undermining the gains that society has made in reducing pollution overall.” “Multiple lines of evidence point to the worsening wildfires in the Pacific Northwest as the cause of degraded air quality,” Buchholz said. and parts of Asia, the researchers were able to narrow down their results to determine that the spikes in pollution were directly related to the wildfires in the Pacific Northwest.
The team observed that carbon monoxide spiked, especially in the late summer months, across all of North America following peak wildfire seasons in the Pacific Northwest.īased on wildfire and pollution data from across the U.S.
The study showed that wildfire emissions greatly impacted pollution levels across the United States.
The data focused on three areas – the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, and the central U.S. “It’s quite clear that there is a new peak of air pollution in August that didn’t used to exist.” Pollution’s impact on healthįor the study, the researchers tracked wildfire emissions over the past 20 years and used a computer model to understand their impact. “Wildfire emissions have increased so substantially that they’re changing the annual pattern of air quality across North America,” said researcher Rebecca Buchholz. As a result, this can increase the risk for several pollution-related health complications. Photo (c) lightasafeather - Getty ImagesA new study conducted by researchers from the National Center for Atmospheric Research explored how wildfires in the Pacific Northwest can have wide-reaching consequences.Īccording to their findings, these wildfires are likely to cause surges in pollution levels across all of North America.