Study: Wildfire Emissions in Polluted Areas Are More Toxic

UCR & U.S. Forest Service join forces to analyze wildfire emissions

A 2016 study examined how wildfires burning in areas with varying levels of pollution interact with the terrain, and, ultimately, what it all means for the environment.

The joint venture combined researchers from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and the U.S. Forest Service. The end result: evidence and confirmation that wildfires that take place in polluted areas are more toxic to the environment overall.

https://twitter.com/scienmag/status/708895895320977408

Nitrogen saturation

Researchers from UCR and the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station together examined one very specific aspect of wildfires: how nitrogen saturation affects the end result of a wildfire.

Nitrogen saturation refers to the situation when plants absorb too much nitrogen. Nitrogen is released when fossil fuels burn in vehicles, factories, etc., and nearby plant life absorbs much of that released nitrogen. So, areas will high levels of pollution will often have plant life that has absorbed high levels of nitrogen, i.e. nitrogen saturation.

In order to study this one aspect, researchers gathered land samples from different sites in California’s San Bernardino Mountains. The sites were varying distances away from Los Angeles, so the sites closest to L.A. were subjected to higher air pollution, and pollution exposure decreased as the sites moved east (away from L.A.).

Results

After burning the samples from the different sites, collecting the emissions, and analyzing the emissions, the researchers discovered that:

• Burning more polluted sites released up to 30 percent more nitrogen oxides, which are a big contributor to smog.
• Burning more polluted sites released more small fine particles, which are a big contributor respiratory health problems.

In the end, more polluted sites released more pollutants when burned, creating a vicious cycle that will only further hurt the environment.

[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/nifc-releases-seasonal-wildfire-outlook/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/wildfires-how-to-prepare-and-protect-homes-and-families/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/wildfires-worst-ever-in-2015/”]