Better representation of ozone formation in wildfire smoke

A view from the highway of the massive East Troublesome wildfire smoke cloud near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on October 16, 2020. Credit: InciWeb

Wildfire smoke is a substantial source of ozone in our lower atmosphere, but one that is hard to quantify. How much and how quickly ozone forms depends on several factors that differ for each fire, making accurate simulation of wildfire chemistry challenging. New research funded in part by CPO’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle, & Climate (AC4) program investigates ozone chemistry in wildfire plumes using measurements made during the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX-AQ) flight campaign. The research team’s in-depth analysis of key chemical variables controlling ozone formation under different fire conditions resulted in a set of guidelines for estimating ozone formation from wildfires in atmospheric models.

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