Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1769-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1769-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Projected increases in wildfires may challenge regulatory curtailment of PM2.5 over the eastern US by 2050
Chandan Sarangi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
Center for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai,
India
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Yun Qian
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
L. Ruby Leung
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Yang Zhang
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern
University, Boston, MA 30332, USA
Yufei Zou
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Yuhang Wang
School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of
Technology, Atlanta, GA 02115, USA
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Cited
13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Smoke Emissions and Buoyant Plumes above Prescribed Burns in the Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey K. Clark et al. 10.3390/fire7090330
- Wildfire particulate exposure and risks of preterm birth and low birth weight in the Southwestern United States P. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.02.016
- Temporal Characteristics and Sources of PM2.5 in Porto Velho of Amazon Region in Brazil from 2020 to 2022 Y. Jang & G. Jung 10.3390/su151814012
- Wildfires Increase Concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants in Downwind Communities R. Rice et al. 10.1021/acs.est.3c04153
- Effects of Air Pollutants from Wildfires on Downwind Ecosystems: Observations, Knowledge Gaps, and Questions for Assessing Risk M. Paul et al. 10.1021/acs.est.2c09061
- Invited Perspective: Increasing Disparities in Air Pollution Health Burdens in the United States—A Concerning Trend for PM2.5 and a Path Forward J. Richmond-Bryant & A. Wilson 10.1289/EHP14233
- Fire heat affects the impacts of wildfires on air pollution in the United States Q. Ma et al. 10.1126/science.ads1957
- Estimating air pollutant emissions from the 2024 wildfires in Canada and the impact on air quality M. Filonchyk et al. 10.1016/j.gr.2024.12.012
- Poor air quality raises mortality in honey bees, a concern for all pollinators N. Coallier et al. 10.1038/s43247-025-02082-x
- Assessing Adverse Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low Levels of Ambient Air Pollution: The HEI Experience and What’s Next? H. Boogaard et al. 10.1021/acs.est.3c09745
- Radiative effects of black carbon in the Arctic due to recent extreme summer fires X. Chen et al. 10.1016/j.accre.2025.04.003
- Burning questions on wildfire Y. Qian 10.1126/science.aea7430
- Large mitigation potential of smoke PM2.5 in the US from human-ignited fires T. Carter et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/aca91f
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Smoke Emissions and Buoyant Plumes above Prescribed Burns in the Pinelands National Reserve, New Jersey K. Clark et al. 10.3390/fire7090330
- Wildfire particulate exposure and risks of preterm birth and low birth weight in the Southwestern United States P. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.puhe.2024.02.016
- Temporal Characteristics and Sources of PM2.5 in Porto Velho of Amazon Region in Brazil from 2020 to 2022 Y. Jang & G. Jung 10.3390/su151814012
- Wildfires Increase Concentrations of Hazardous Air Pollutants in Downwind Communities R. Rice et al. 10.1021/acs.est.3c04153
- Effects of Air Pollutants from Wildfires on Downwind Ecosystems: Observations, Knowledge Gaps, and Questions for Assessing Risk M. Paul et al. 10.1021/acs.est.2c09061
- Invited Perspective: Increasing Disparities in Air Pollution Health Burdens in the United States—A Concerning Trend for PM2.5 and a Path Forward J. Richmond-Bryant & A. Wilson 10.1289/EHP14233
- Fire heat affects the impacts of wildfires on air pollution in the United States Q. Ma et al. 10.1126/science.ads1957
- Estimating air pollutant emissions from the 2024 wildfires in Canada and the impact on air quality M. Filonchyk et al. 10.1016/j.gr.2024.12.012
- Poor air quality raises mortality in honey bees, a concern for all pollinators N. Coallier et al. 10.1038/s43247-025-02082-x
- Assessing Adverse Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low Levels of Ambient Air Pollution: The HEI Experience and What’s Next? H. Boogaard et al. 10.1021/acs.est.3c09745
- Radiative effects of black carbon in the Arctic due to recent extreme summer fires X. Chen et al. 10.1016/j.accre.2025.04.003
- Burning questions on wildfire Y. Qian 10.1126/science.aea7430
1 citations as recorded by crossref.
Latest update: 17 Sep 2025
Executive editor
Wildfires enhance surface PM2.5 concentration and thus adversely affect air quality and human health. Based on online-coupled fire-climate-ecosystem model simulations, this paper projects a nearly 2-fold increase in wildfire-induced summer-mean surface PM2.5 by the mid-21st century over North America. The projected enhancement is substantial even in the less-densely forested eastern US - as already manifested in the poor air quality as observed in June 2023 due to Canadian wildfires -, which is attributed to the transport of smoke from North America as well as positive climatic feedback of smoke on PM2.5. Thus, future regulatory controls on PM2.5 in North America, particularly in the eastern US where anthropogenic emissions are falling, should consider the effect of future increases in wildfires.
Wildfires enhance surface PM2.5 concentration and thus adversely affect air quality and human...
Short summary
We show that for air quality, the densely populated eastern US may see even larger impacts of wildfires due to long-distance smoke transport and associated positive climatic impacts, partially compensating the improvements from regulations on anthropogenic emissions. This study highlights the tension between natural and anthropogenic contributions and the non-local nature of air pollution that complicate regulatory strategies for improving future regional air quality for human health.
We show that for air quality, the densely populated eastern US may see even larger impacts of...
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