Analysing the effects of the 2002 McNally fire on air quality in the San Joaquin Valley and southern Sierra Nevada, California
Ricardo Cisneros A H , Donald Schweizer A , Sharon Zhong B , Katharine Hammond C , Miguel A. Perez D , Qinghua Guo E , Samuel Traina E , Andrzej Bytnerowicz F and Deborah H. Bennett G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A USDA Forest Service, Region 5, Air Program, 1600 Tollhouse Road, Clovis, CA 93257, USA. Email: dschweizer@fs.fed.us
B Department of Geography, Michigan State University, 116 Geography Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1117, USA. Email: zhongs@msu.edu
C Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 95720-7360, USA. Email: hammondk@berkeley.edu
D Department of Public Health, California State University, Fresno, 2345 E San Ramon Avenue, M/S MH30, Fresno, CA 93740, USA. Email: mperez@csufresno.edu
E Environmental Systems Graduate Group, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA. Email: qguo@ucmerced.edu; straina@ucmerced.edu
F USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 4955 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, CA 92507, USA. Email: abytnerowicz@fs.fed.us
G Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis, One Shields Avenue, 118 MS1-C, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Email: dbennett@ucdavis.edu
H Corresponding author. Email: rcisneros@ucmerced.edu
International Journal of Wildland Fire 21(8) 1065-1075 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF11025
Submitted: 16 February 2011 Accepted: 2 June 2012 Published: 30 July 2012
Abstract
Smoke from wildfires can expose individuals and populations to elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3). Between 21 July and 26 August 2002, the McNally Fire burned over 150 000 acres (61 000 ha). The fire occurred in the Sequoia National Forest, in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. This study evaluated the effects of the McNally Fire on air quality, specifically particles <10 μm in diameter (PM10) and O3. Downwind of the fire on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, 24-h concentrations of PM10 more than doubled. The PM10 federal standard was exceeded four times during the fire. Violations of the California PM10 standard increased drastically during the fire. The California PM10 standard was violated six times before the fire and 164 times during the fire. Most of the PM10 exceedances occurred at the Kernville Work Center and sites east of the fire. Compared with the other sites, the highest 2-week average O3 concentrations occurred in the eastern part of the Sierra Nevada and north of the fire, where O3 increased by a factor of two at two locations.
Additional keywords: ozone, particulate matter, smoke.
References
Arbaugh MJ, Bytnerowicz A (2003) Ambient ozone patterns and effects over the Sierra Nevada: synthesis and implications for future research. In ‘Ozone Air Pollution in the Sierra Nevada: Distribution and Effects on Forests’. (Eds A Bytnerowicz, MJ Arbaugh, R Alonso) Developments in Environmental Science 2, pp. 249–261. (Elsevier: Amsterdam)Arbaugh MJ, Bytnerowicz A, Preisler H, Frączek W, Alonso R, Procter T (2001) Ambient ozone patterns and ozone injury risk to ponderosa and Jeffrey pines in the Sierra Nevada. Air Resources Board, Final Report, Contract Number 98–305. (Sacramento, CA)
Broeckaert F, Arsalane B, Hermans C, Bergamaschi E, Brustolin A, Mutti A, Bernard A (2000) Serum Clara cell protein: a sensitive biomarker of increased lung epithelium permeability caused by ambient ozone. Environmental Health Perspectives 108, 537–542.
| Serum Clara cell protein: a sensitive biomarker of increased lung epithelium permeability caused by ambient ozone.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cahill T, Cliff S, Jimenez-Cruz J, Portnoff L, Ray V, Martin J, Perry K (2005) Support of aerosol sampling and analysis at Yosemite NP, Summer 2002. DELTA Group, University of California Davis Final Report. (Davis, CA)
California Air Resources Board (2001) Emissions projections 2000–2010. Available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/app/emsinv/cepam_emssumcat_query.php [Verified 10 July 2012]
Carrico CM, Kredenweis SM, Collett J, McMeeking GR, Herckess P, Engling G, Lee T, Carrillo J, Day DE, Malm WC, Hand J (2005) Yosemite Aerosol Characterization Study of 2002 (YACS). Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere/National Park Service, Colorado State University, Final Report. (Denver, CO)
Chandra S, Ziemke JR, Bhartia PK, Martin RV (2002) Tropical tropospheric ozone: implications for dynamics and biomass burning. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres 107, 4188
| Tropical tropospheric ozone: implications for dynamics and biomass burning.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cheng L, McDonald K, Angle R, Sandhu H (1998) Forest fire enhanced photochemical air pollution: a case study. Atmospheric Environment 32, 673–681.
| Forest fire enhanced photochemical air pollution: a case study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXitV2lu78%3D&md5=f51a12b697cd61518a48828f55046b39CAS |
Cisneros R, Perez MA (2007) A comparison of ozone exposure in Shaver Lake and Fresno, California. Journal of Environmental Health 69, 38–44.
Damoah R, Spichtinger N, Forster C, James P, Mattis I, Wandinger U, Beirle S, Wagner T, Stohl A (2004) Around the world in 17 days – hemispheric-scale transport of forest fire smoke from Russia in May 2003. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 4, 1311–1321.
| Around the world in 17 days – hemispheric-scale transport of forest fire smoke from Russia in May 2003.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2cXnvFaqt7c%3D&md5=ebac4f62a5d8f7e634d6d13780d1fc7fCAS |
DeBell LJ, Talbot RW, Dibb JE (2004) A major air pollution event in the north-eastern United States caused by extensive forest fires in Quebec, Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres 109, D19305
| A major air pollution event in the north-eastern United States caused by extensive forest fires in Quebec, Canada.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Draxler RR, Rolph GD (2011) HYSPLIT – Hybrid Single-Particle Langrangian Integrated Trajectory Model. (NOAA Air Resources Laboratory: Silver Spring, MD) Available at http://ready.arl.noaa.gov/HYSPLIT.php [Verified 10 July 2012]
Forster C, Wandinger U, Wotawa G, James P, Mattis I, Althausen D, Simmonds P, O’Doherty S, Jennings SG, Kleefeld C, Schneider J, Trickl T, Kreipl S, Jager H, Stohl A (2001) Transport of boreal forest-fire emissions from Canada to Europe. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres 106, 22887–22906.
| Transport of boreal forest-fire emissions from Canada to Europe.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXot1Cku7k%3D&md5=3a7f70fea43e323fc9066de2bbf62294CAS |
Jaffe D, Hafner W, Chand D, Westerling A, Spracklen D (2008) Interannual variations in PM2.5 due to wildfires in the western United States. Environmental Science & Technology 42, 2812–2818.
| Interannual variations in PM2.5 due to wildfires in the western United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD1cXjt1Wqsb0%3D&md5=def52673c1f90ad92662804934176925CAS |
Linping C, Kenneth V, Shilu T (2006) Air particulate pollution due to bushfires and respiratory hospital admissions in Brisbane, Australia. International Journal of Environmental Health Research 16, 181–191.
Malm WC, Sisler JF, Copeland S, Gebhart K, Day DE, Ames R, Pitchford ML, Scruggs M (2000) Spatial and seasonal patterns and temporal variability of haze and its constituents in the United States. Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Report III. (Denver, CO) Available at http://vista.cira.colostate.edu/IMPROVE/Publications/Reports/2000/2000.htm [Verified 10 July 2012]
McMeeking GR, Kreidenweis SM, Lunden M, Carrillo J, Carrico CM, Lee T, Herckes P, Engling G, Day DE, Hand J, Brown N, Malm WC, Collett JL (2006) Smoke-impacted regional haze in California during the summer of 2002. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 137, 25–42.
| Smoke-impacted regional haze in California during the summer of 2002.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Miller JD, Safford HD, Crimmings M, Thode AE (2009) Quantitative evidence for increasing forest fire severity in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA. Ecosystems 12, 16–32.
| Quantitative evidence for increasing forest fire severity in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountains, California and Nevada, USA.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Morris GA, Hersey S, Thompson AM, Pawson S, Nielsen JE, Colarco PR, Mcmillan WW, Stohl A, Turquety S, Warner J, Johnson BJ, Kucsera TL, Larko DE, Oltmans SJ, Witte JC (2006) Alaskan and Canadian fires exacerbate ozone pollution over Houston, Texas, on 19 and 20 July 2004. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres 111, D24S03
| Alaskan and Canadian fires exacerbate ozone pollution over Houston, Texas, on 19 and 20 July 2004.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ottmar R, Reinhardt T (2000) Smoke exposure at Western wildfires. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Research Paper PNW-RP-525. (Seattle, WA)
Park R, Jacob DJ, Logan JA (2007) Fire and biofuel contributions to annual mean aerosol mass concentrations in the United States. Atmospheric Environment 41, 7389–7400.
| Fire and biofuel contributions to annual mean aerosol mass concentrations in the United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2sXht1yis73F&md5=0bdee391292643ebb9de7743868b9aebCAS |
Pfister GG, Wiednimyer C, Emmons LK (2008) Impacts of the fall 2007 California wildfires on surface ozone: integrating local observations with global model simulations. Geophysical Research Letters 35, L19814
| Impacts of the fall 2007 California wildfires on surface ozone: integrating local observations with global model simulations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Radke LF, Ward DE, Riggan PJ (2001) A prescription for controlling the air pollution resulting from the use of prescribed biomass fire: clouds. International Journal of Wildland Fire 10, 103–111.
| A prescription for controlling the air pollution resulting from the use of prescribed biomass fire: clouds.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Radojevic M, Hassan H (1998) Air quality in Brunei Darussalam during the 1998 haze episode. Atmospheric Environment 30, 3651–3658.
Sapkota A, Symons JM, Klwissl J, Wang L, Parlange MB, Ondov J, Breysse PN, Diette GB, Eggleston PA, Buckley TJ (2005) Impact of the 2002 Canadian forest fires on particulate matter air quality in Baltimore City. Environmental Science & Technology 39, 24–32.
| Impact of the 2002 Canadian forest fires on particulate matter air quality in Baltimore City.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2cXpslyks70%3D&md5=ae24a5f5df0eca514bfd2f4fb1caf853CAS |
Syphard AD, Radeloff VC, Keeley JE, Hawbaker TJ, Clayton MK, Stewart SI, Hammer RB (2007) Human influence on California fire regimes. Ecological Applications 17, 1388–1402.
| Human influence on California fire regimes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Urbanski SP, Hao WM, Baker S (2009) Chemical composition of wildland fire emissions. In ‘Wildland Fires and Air Pollution’. (Eds A Bytnerowicz, A Arbaugh, A Riebau, C Andersen) Developments in Environmental Science, Vol. 8, pp. 79–107. (Elsevier: Amsterdam)
US EPA (2004) Air quality criteria for particulate matter. US Environmental Protection Agency Final Report EPA 600/P-99/002aF-bF. (Washington, DC) http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=87903 [Verified 25 July 2009]
USDA Forest Service (2001) Record of decision: Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment environmental impact statement. Available at http://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/Resources/Conservation/LawsPoliciesRegulation/KeyForestServicePolicy/SierraNevadaFramework/Framework-FSROD01.pdf [Verified 10 July 2012]
USDI NPS (2008) Air quality in National Parks. 2008 annual performance & progress report. US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/ARD/NRR–2009/151. (Denver, CO) Available at http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/upload/AQ.Trends.Parks.2008.pdf [Verified 10 July 2012]
Westerling AL, Hidalgo HG, Cayan DR, Swetnam TW (2006) Warming and earlier spring increase western US forest wildfire activity. Science 313, 940–943.
| Warming and earlier spring increase western US forest wildfire activity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD28XotFCitbo%3D&md5=a37918f019668e71ec326302a8bbaf60CAS |
Wotawa G, Trainer M (2000) The influence of Canadian forest fires on pollutant concentrations in the United States. Science 288, 324–328.
| The influence of Canadian forest fires on pollutant concentrations in the United States.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXislertLY%3D&md5=a82b155d866b65585267d82ba003143dCAS |
