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Simulating the impacts of regional wildfire smoke on ozone using a coupled fire-atmosphere-chemistry model.

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Title: Simulating the impacts of regional wildfire smoke on ozone using a coupled fire-atmosphere-chemistry model.
Authors: Mallia, Derek V.1 (AUTHOR), White, Cambria1 (AUTHOR), Farguell, Angel2 (AUTHOR), Mandel, Jan3 (AUTHOR), Kochanski, Adam K.1,2 (AUTHOR) adam.kochanski@sjsu.edu
Source: Atmospheric Environment. Nov2025, Vol. 360, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subject Terms: *Ozone, *Smoke, *Air quality, *Wildfires, *Aerosols, Transport theory, Physical & theoretical chemistry
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Wildland fires emit pollutants such as fine particulates (PM 2.5), and ozone (O 3) precursors that can adversely impact air quality. To better understand processes that directly influence smoke transport and plume chemistry, this study leveraged a coupled fire-atmosphere model (WRF-SFIRE-Chem) to quantify the contributions of wildfire smoke to O 3 relative to regional anthropogenic emissions. Coupled fire-atmosphere-chemistry simulations were also used to examine how aerosol radiative feedbacks, i.e., smoke shading, modifies smoke transport and plume chemistry. This study investigated a major smoke episode that occurred during the record-breaking 2020 western U.S. wildfire season. Overall, WRF-SFIRE-Chem was able to reproduce the evolution of a regional smoke plume for the August 2020 smoke event. Sensitivity simulations from WRF-SFIRE-Chem show that O 3 contributions from wildfire smoke (21 ± 4.4 ppb) were much larger than O 3 enhancements from regional anthropogenic emission sources (11 ± 1.3 ppb). Smoke shading also had a large impact on meteorology where incoming solar radiation and 2-m temperature underneath the smoke plume decreased by ∼400 W m−2 and 4 °C, respectively. Smoke shading also altered smoke transport and reduced O 3 concentrations within the smoke plume by up to 10 ppb. These results suggest that sizable enhancements in O 3 can occur, even in the absence of regional anthropogenic emissions. This research also highlights the importance of accounting for smoke shading within chemical transport models, which proved to be important in the context of both smoke transport and plume photochemistry. • Generated the first coupled-fire atmosphere model simulation with aerosol physics and ozone chemistry. • Ozone was more sensitive to wildfire sources than anthropogenic emissions during the 2020 western U.S. wildfire season. • Smoke shading alters smoke transport and chemistry, highlighting the need for coupled modeling approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: GreenFILE
Description
Abstract:Wildland fires emit pollutants such as fine particulates (PM 2.5), and ozone (O 3) precursors that can adversely impact air quality. To better understand processes that directly influence smoke transport and plume chemistry, this study leveraged a coupled fire-atmosphere model (WRF-SFIRE-Chem) to quantify the contributions of wildfire smoke to O 3 relative to regional anthropogenic emissions. Coupled fire-atmosphere-chemistry simulations were also used to examine how aerosol radiative feedbacks, i.e., smoke shading, modifies smoke transport and plume chemistry. This study investigated a major smoke episode that occurred during the record-breaking 2020 western U.S. wildfire season. Overall, WRF-SFIRE-Chem was able to reproduce the evolution of a regional smoke plume for the August 2020 smoke event. Sensitivity simulations from WRF-SFIRE-Chem show that O 3 contributions from wildfire smoke (21 ± 4.4 ppb) were much larger than O 3 enhancements from regional anthropogenic emission sources (11 ± 1.3 ppb). Smoke shading also had a large impact on meteorology where incoming solar radiation and 2-m temperature underneath the smoke plume decreased by ∼400 W m−2 and 4 °C, respectively. Smoke shading also altered smoke transport and reduced O 3 concentrations within the smoke plume by up to 10 ppb. These results suggest that sizable enhancements in O 3 can occur, even in the absence of regional anthropogenic emissions. This research also highlights the importance of accounting for smoke shading within chemical transport models, which proved to be important in the context of both smoke transport and plume photochemistry. • Generated the first coupled-fire atmosphere model simulation with aerosol physics and ozone chemistry. • Ozone was more sensitive to wildfire sources than anthropogenic emissions during the 2020 western U.S. wildfire season. • Smoke shading alters smoke transport and chemistry, highlighting the need for coupled modeling approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:13522310
DOI:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121404