Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol
Abstract Wildfires are a significant source of organic aerosol during summer, with major impacts on air quality and climate. However, studies in Europe suggest a surprisingly low (less than 10%) contribution of biomass burning organic aerosol to average summertime fine particulate matter levels. In...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
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| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-023-00544-7 |
| _version_ | 1797377170956353536 |
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| author | Christina N. Vasilakopoulou Angeliki Matrali Ksakousti Skyllakou Maria Georgopoulou Andreas Aktypis Kalliopi Florou Christos Kaltsonoudis Evangelia Siouti Evangelia Kostenidou Agata Błaziak Athanasios Nenes Stefanos Papagiannis Konstantinos Eleftheriadis David Patoulias Ioannis Kioutsioukis Spyros N. Pandis |
| author_facet | Christina N. Vasilakopoulou Angeliki Matrali Ksakousti Skyllakou Maria Georgopoulou Andreas Aktypis Kalliopi Florou Christos Kaltsonoudis Evangelia Siouti Evangelia Kostenidou Agata Błaziak Athanasios Nenes Stefanos Papagiannis Konstantinos Eleftheriadis David Patoulias Ioannis Kioutsioukis Spyros N. Pandis |
| author_sort | Christina N. Vasilakopoulou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Wildfires are a significant source of organic aerosol during summer, with major impacts on air quality and climate. However, studies in Europe suggest a surprisingly low (less than 10%) contribution of biomass burning organic aerosol to average summertime fine particulate matter levels. In this study we combine field measurements and atmospheric chemical transport modeling, to demonstrate that the contribution of wildfires to fine particle levels in Europe during summer is seriously underestimated. Our work suggests that the corresponding contribution has been underestimated by a factor of 4–7 and that wildfires were responsible for approximately half of the total OA in Europe during July 2022. This discrepancy with previous work is due to the rapid physicochemical transformation of these emissions to secondary oxidized organic aerosol with an accompanying loss of its organic chemical fingerprints. These atmospheric reactions lead to a regionally distributed background organic aerosol that is responsible for a significant fraction of the health-related impacts caused by fine particles in Europe and probably in other continents. These adverse health effects can occur hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the fires. We estimate that wildfire emissions are responsible for 15–22% of the deaths in Europe due to exposure to fine particulate matter during summer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:48:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f98de4dd318e45e0b9621a64ba42bd8c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:48:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-f98de4dd318e45e0b9621a64ba42bd8c2023-12-24T12:13:19ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222023-12-01611910.1038/s41612-023-00544-7Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosolChristina N. Vasilakopoulou0Angeliki Matrali1Ksakousti Skyllakou2Maria Georgopoulou3Andreas Aktypis4Kalliopi Florou5Christos Kaltsonoudis6Evangelia Siouti7Evangelia Kostenidou8Agata Błaziak9Athanasios Nenes10Stefanos Papagiannis11Konstantinos Eleftheriadis12David Patoulias13Ioannis Kioutsioukis14Spyros N. Pandis15Department of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasInstitute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HTDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasInstitute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HTInstitute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HTDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasDepartment of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of ThraceInstitute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of SciencesInstitute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HTERL, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety, National Centre of Scientific Research DemokritosERL, Institute of Nuclear & Radiological Sciences & Technology, Energy & Safety, National Centre of Scientific Research DemokritosInstitute of Chemical Engineering Sciences, ICE-HTDepartment of Physics, University of PatrasDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of PatrasAbstract Wildfires are a significant source of organic aerosol during summer, with major impacts on air quality and climate. However, studies in Europe suggest a surprisingly low (less than 10%) contribution of biomass burning organic aerosol to average summertime fine particulate matter levels. In this study we combine field measurements and atmospheric chemical transport modeling, to demonstrate that the contribution of wildfires to fine particle levels in Europe during summer is seriously underestimated. Our work suggests that the corresponding contribution has been underestimated by a factor of 4–7 and that wildfires were responsible for approximately half of the total OA in Europe during July 2022. This discrepancy with previous work is due to the rapid physicochemical transformation of these emissions to secondary oxidized organic aerosol with an accompanying loss of its organic chemical fingerprints. These atmospheric reactions lead to a regionally distributed background organic aerosol that is responsible for a significant fraction of the health-related impacts caused by fine particles in Europe and probably in other continents. These adverse health effects can occur hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away from the fires. We estimate that wildfire emissions are responsible for 15–22% of the deaths in Europe due to exposure to fine particulate matter during summer.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-023-00544-7 |
| spellingShingle | Christina N. Vasilakopoulou Angeliki Matrali Ksakousti Skyllakou Maria Georgopoulou Andreas Aktypis Kalliopi Florou Christos Kaltsonoudis Evangelia Siouti Evangelia Kostenidou Agata Błaziak Athanasios Nenes Stefanos Papagiannis Konstantinos Eleftheriadis David Patoulias Ioannis Kioutsioukis Spyros N. Pandis Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| title_full | Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| title_fullStr | Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| title_short | Rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| title_sort | rapid transformation of wildfire emissions to harmful background aerosol |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-023-00544-7 |
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