Particulate Air Pollution from Wildfires in the Western US under Climate Change.

ABSTRACT: Wildfire can impose a direct impact on human health under climate change. While the potential impacts of climate change on wildfires and resulting air pollution have been studied, it is not known who will be most affected by the growing threat of wildfires. Identifying communities that will be most affected will inform development of fire management strategies and disaster preparedness programs. We estimate levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) directly attributable to wildfires in 561 western US counties during fire seasons for the present-day (2004-2009) and future (2046-2051), using a fire prediction model and GEOS-Chem, a 3-D global chemical transport model. Future estimates are obtained under a scenario of moderately increasing greenhouse gases by mid-century. We create

SUBMITTER: Liu JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5476308 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature