Enabling Smoke Impacts Research Through Blended Earth Observations

Understanding the health impacts of smoke from wildfires requires a diversity of methods and expertise drawing from atmospheric science, exposure science, epidemiology, statistics, and economics. Our interdisciplinary team has fused satellite data, model simulations, and surface observations to create spatially- and temporally-distributed estimates of fine particulate matter (PM _2.5 ) from wildland-fire smoke and non-smoke sources. We have leveraged the individual and gridded fused datasets to identify where and when surface air is smoke-impacted, and where smoke has compromised large scale air quality improvements. Using the gridded estimates of smoke-attributed PM 2.5 , we have quantified the impact of smoke exposure on cardiopulmonary-related hospital admissions in Washington, asthma-specific medical care in Oregon, pediatric clinical respiratory outcomes, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Colorado. In addition, our ability to isolate smoke at ground level has been used to determine the effect of air pollution on violent crime across the U.S. We have also been able to combine satellite and surface datasets to examine the impact of smoke on ozone across a national scale, and in doing so estimate how smoke contributes to pediatric asthma emergency department visits via its contribution to elevated ozone. Most recently, we have combined gridded PM _2.5 estimates with new aircraft observations in smoke to estimate how hazardous air pollutants in smoke impact health. Through these efforts we have learned that how we identify wildfire smoke matters as we assess its impact, and that the impacts of wildfire smoke on health are not likely driven by elevated PM _2.5 alone. This presentation will provide an overview of the smoke products used by our team, the challenges and solutions that arise from collaborative, cross-disciplinary work, and the scientific highlights of our research.