Synoptic Scale Patterns and Variability in Long-Range Transport from the CONUS to the Arctic Circle: Informing Controlled Burn Strategy and Regulation

The Arctic Circle is susceptible to the emissions of climate forcers (such as black carbon, carbon dioxide, and methane) from combustion sources including biomass burning. Biomass burning, such as wildfire events and controlled burns, is critical to maintaining healthy and productive environmental and agricultural systems. However, smoke emissions from North America can contribute significantly to measured aerosol concentrations in the Arctic, and may alter the timing and quantity of annual snowmelt. We investigated transport from the continental United States (CONUS) to the Arctic Circle. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used to model air parcel transport from a grid of 1,926 locations covering the continental United States. Daily transport at six initialization times per day was modeled for a 30-year period (1979 to 2008). Transport was modeled at multiple heights in the atmosphere: 500; 1,000; 1,500; 2,000; 2,500; 3,000; and 5,000 meters above ground level. A system was designed to efficiently process and store a large trajectory data set and to enable efficient querying for questions regarding transport climatology. We present the seasonal and annual trends over a 10-year period and in the 30-year transport climatology, and assess the patterns and variability in the context of synoptic scale meteorology. Observations regarding predominant types of transport regimes are discussed. The results are related to the timing and magnitude of biomass burning throughout the United States. The findings can be used to inform real-time tools useful to land managers conducting controlled burns, as well as policy makers enacting regulation.