Wildfires of Fall 2016

Transcription

1 Air Quality Update Wildfires of Fall 2016

2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards Criteria Pollutants Ozone (O 3 ) Particulate Matter (PM 10, PM 2.5 ) Sulfur Dioxide (SO 2 ) Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ) Carbon Monoxide (CO) (NAAQS) Why Special Regulations? Common outdoor air pollutants Harmful to public health and environment Numerous and diverse sources Purpose is to protect health and welfare Allowed limit for Criteria Pollutants Regularly reviewed by EPA Exceeding limits will have consequences! Lead (Pb) Think of it like a speed limit. Stay at or under it, we re OK. Go above it, we can get in trouble!

3 Southern Appalachian Wildfires A series of large wildfires began on October 16 th, 2016 and continued into early December U.S. Forest Service reported 37 large wildfires Over 100,000 acres burned Over 5,000 firefighters deployed Fires caused by lightning, escaped campfires, and arson Extreme drought conditions exacerbated the fire activity Large fires caused poor air quality conditions across the Southeastern US

4 Large Incident Wildfires November 15th

5 Southeast US Percent of Normal Rainfall October 2016 The Southern Appalachian Mountains received only 10-25% of the normal monthly rainfall by October of This led to dry vegetation & dry soil and contributed to the wildfires.

6 Southeast Drought November 2016

7 Wildfire Smoke Composition Composition Carbon Dioxide Water Vapor Particulate Matter Nitrogen Oxides Hydrocarbons Organic Compounds Plus thousands of other compounds Dependents Fuel types Moisture content Fire temperature Wind conditions Fresh smoke or Aged Smoke? Many other variables

8 Primary Pollutant of Concern from Wildfire Smoke Particulate Matter

9 Health effects of Fine Particulate Matter Fine particulates can penetrate deep into lungs Aggravated chronic heart and lung diseases Shortness of breath Chest tightness Burning eyes Runny nose Premature death

10 PM 2.5 Standards and Forecast Thresholds PM 2.5 Annual Standard = 12 µg/m³ PM hour Forecast Thresholds, 24-hour Standard = 35 µg/m³ AQ Category µg/m³ AQI Meaning Good Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. Moderate Air quality is acceptable; however, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Standard = 35 µg/m³ Members of sensitive groups may Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Everyone may begin to experience health Unhealthy effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Very Unhealthy > Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects.

11 We saw a slight increase in the annual PM2.5 Design Value statistics. There was a much more evident increase in the daily PM2.5 Design Value.

12 There was a drastic increase in PM2.5 in the fourth quarter of 2016 due to the wildfires, especially in the Upstate of South Carolina.

13 Event-driven Air Quality Alerts Beginning 11/14/16, Bureau of Air Quality (BAQ) meteorologists monitored large-scale fires and significant smoke/dust transported into the Southeast US that could have required an Air Quality Alert. If an alert was required for a significant area, BAQ meteorologists would issue county-by-county forecasts based on the AQI color chart.

14 HMS (Hazard Mapping System) Smoke Plume HMS Fires PM2.5 Monitor Concentrations PM hour maxes 10/22/2016 This is a typical fall day in SC (concentrations generally below 10 µg/m³).

15 PM hour maxes Monday 11/14/2016 Monitors began reading red concentrations in Greenville and Spartanburg County. Fine particulate forecasting began on this date.

16 PM hour maxes Tuesday 11/15/2016 Red concentrations were recorded most everywhere in the state, except in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand areas of the state.

17 PM hour maxes Wednesday 11/16/2016 Orange / Red concentrations were seen most everywhere in the state, except perhaps in the Grand Strand area.

18 PM hour maxes Thursday 11/17/2016 Concentrations were reduced by Thursday, but dirty air masses pooled along the coast, with orange values continuing in Charleston.

19 Orange in the Upstate PM hour maxes Friday 11/18/2016

20 Example of a forecast map and discussion issued during the wildfire event

21 Protecting Yourself from Smoke Pay attention to local air quality reports Limit outdoor activity Use common sense to guide your activities Recognize and respond to breathing issues If advised to remain indoors, keep indoor air as clean as possible Keep windows and doors closed Keep the air filters clean Consider using N-95 or P-100 respirators