GH016-01
Enabling Smoke Impacts Research Through Blended Earth Observations

Tuesday, 15 December 2020: 07:00
Virtual
Emily V Fischer1, Jeffrey R Pierce2, Sheryl Magzamen3, Bonne Ford1, Katelyn O'Dell2,4, Steven Joel Brey1, William Lassman5, Ryan Gan3, Ander Wilson6, Ambarish Vaidyanathan7, John Volckens8, Gabriele Pfister9, Jingyang Liu10, Jesse Burkhardt11, Jude Bayham12, Elison Carter13, Jesse D. Berman14, James Crooks15, Ettie M. Lipner16, Isabella Ward17 and Mona Abdo18, (1)Colorado State University, Atmospheric Science, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (2)Colorado State University, Department of Atmospheric Science, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (3)Colorado State University, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (4)College of Charleston, Physics and Astronomy, Charleston, SC, United States, (5)Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States, (6)Colorado State University, Fort Collins, United States, (7)Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Atlanta, GA, United States, (8)Colorado State University, Mechanical Engineering, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (9)NCAR/ACD, Boulder, CO, United States, (10)Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States, (11)Colorado State University, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics,, Fort Collins, United States, (12)Colorado State University, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Fort Collins, United States, (13)Colorado State University, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Fort Collins, United States, (14)University of Minnesota Twin Cities, School of Public Health, Minneapolis, United States, (15)National Jewish Health, Denver, United States, (16)National Jewish, Center for Genes, Environment and Health, Denver, United States, (17)Swedish Medical Center, Arvada, CO, United States, (18)Colorado School of Public Health, Epidemiology, Aurora, CO, United States
Abstract:
Understanding the health impacts of smoke from wildfires requires a diversity of methods and expertise drawing from atmospheric science, exposure science, epidemiology, statistics, and economics. Our interdisciplinary team has fused satellite data, model simulations, and surface observations to create spatially- and temporally-distributed estimates of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildland-fire smoke and non-smoke sources. We have leveraged the individual and gridded fused datasets to identify where and when surface air is smoke-impacted, and where smoke has compromised large scale air quality improvements. Using the gridded estimates of smoke-attributed PM2.5, we have quantified the impact of smoke exposure on cardiopulmonary-related hospital admissions in Washington, asthma-specific medical care in Oregon, pediatric clinical respiratory outcomes, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Colorado. In addition, our ability to isolate smoke at ground level has been used to determine the effect of air pollution on violent crime across the U.S. We have also been able to combine satellite and surface datasets to examine the impact of smoke on ozone across a national scale, and in doing so estimate how smoke contributes to pediatric asthma emergency department visits via its contribution to elevated ozone. Most recently, we have combined gridded PM2.5 estimates with new aircraft observations in smoke to estimate how hazardous air pollutants in smoke impact health. Through these efforts we have learned that how we identify wildfire smoke matters as we assess its impact, and that the impacts of wildfire smoke on health are not likely driven by elevated PM2.5 alone. This presentation will provide an overview of the smoke products used by our team, the challenges and solutions that arise from collaborative, cross-disciplinary work, and the scientific highlights of our research.
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