In:
Science Advances, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Vol. 7, No. 50 ( 2021-12-10)
Abstract:
Wildfires are a substantial but poorly quantified source of tropospheric ozone (O 3 ). Here, to investigate the highly variable O 3 chemistry in wildfire plumes, we exploit the in situ chemical characterization of western wildfires during the FIREX-AQ flight campaign and show that O 3 production can be predicted as a function of experimentally constrained OH exposure, volatile organic compound (VOC) reactivity, and the fate of peroxy radicals. The O 3 chemistry exhibits rapid transition in chemical regimes. Within a few daylight hours, the O 3 formation substantially slows and is largely limited by the abundance of nitrogen oxides (NO x ). This finding supports previous observations that O 3 formation is enhanced when VOC-rich wildfire smoke mixes into NO x -rich urban plumes, thereby deteriorating urban air quality. Last, we relate O 3 chemistry to the underlying fire characteristics, enabling a more accurate representation of wildfire chemistry in atmospheric models that are used to study air quality and predict climate.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2375-2548
DOI:
10.1126/sciadv.abl3648
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2810933-8