Title: Prescribed burn smoke impact in the Lake Tahoe Basin: model simulation and field verification

Authors: Tom Malamakal; L-W. Antony Chen; Xiaoliang Wang; Mark C. Green; Steven Gronstal; Judith C. Chow; John G. Watson

Addresses: Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA ' Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512, USA; Atmospheric Science Program, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, USA

Abstract: Smoke dispersion modelling based on the Fire Emission Production Simulator and the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (FEPS-HYSPLIT) model was applied to prescribed burns in the Lake Tahoe Basin (LTB) during fall 2011. This, in conjunction with measurements at sources and real-time ambient PM_2.5 monitoring around LTB, served to evaluate the prescribed burning impacts on air quality. For a given combustion efficiency, in-plume measurements suggest FEPS to underestimate PM_2.5 emission factors by up to six-fold, though FEPS agrees relatively well with laboratory combustion of dry fuels. Prescribed burns in LTB were mostly < 100 acres; time series analysis and model prediction (with 2 km or 12 km spatial resolution) suggest generally small effects on PM_2.5 exposure of local communities due to careful selection of the burn windows. In regard to a few scenarios where significant impact (≥ 2 µg/m³ hourly) is predicted, the model with 2 km resolution shows smoke arrival times more consistent with ambient observations. However, uncertainties in the model predictions should be reduced further by acquiring more accurate burn records and measuring markers specific to biomass burning at the monitoring sites.

Keywords: smoke forecasting; biomass burning; emission models; PM2.5 emissions factor; WRF; IMPROVE network; USA; United States; burn smoke impact; smoke dispersion modelling; simulation; field verification; air pollution; air quality; prescribed burns; combustion efficiency; in-plume measurements; uncertainties.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2013.058457

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2013 Vol.52 No.3/4, pp.225 - 243

Received: 16 Apr 2013
Accepted: 21 Aug 2013
Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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