Dr. Irina Petropavlovskikh

Climate change (i.e. extreme heat waves and droughts) over the last decade lead to significant increases in the frequency and extent of large fires burning in the Western US states. These events are consequently exacerbating health issues of the public living in the urban areas. The fires often occur during the summer months when also urban emissions and heat create prime conditions for poor air quality. The mix of urban and wildland fire emissions seems to worsen the air quality in the Western states including the Northern Colorado Metropolitan area. However, the question remains to what degree wildfires are playing a role in the urban air quality. Specifically, what atmospheric processes are contributing to increases in surface ozone downwind from the local (fresh smoke) or remote (aged smoke) fires.