Smoke Modeling BlueSkyRains and SHRMC-4S Rick Gillam U.S. EPA Region 4 Air Modeler’s Workshop March 8-10, 2005

Today’s Presentation Smoke emissions from prescribed-burn and wildland fires Smoke emissions from prescribed-burn and wildland fires What is BlueSkyRains? What is BlueSkyRains? What is SHRMC-4s? What is SHRMC-4s?

(Slide taken from a presentation by Allison Davis of EPA’s OAQPS)

Smoke Emissions EPA Policy: 1998 Interim Air Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires EPA Policy: 1998 Interim Air Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires Addresses public health and welfare impacts Addresses public health and welfare impacts Encourages use of smoke management plans (SMP) Encourages use of smoke management plans (SMP) Available at: Available at: Wild and Prescribed Fire Issues: Wild and Prescribed Fire Issues: Public safety Public safety Visibility Visibility economic impacts and economic impacts and health impacts health impacts

Smoke Emissions Wildland and Prescribed-burn fires release large amounts of PM, CO, SO 2,NO x, and VOCs. Wildland and Prescribed-burn fires release large amounts of PM, CO, SO 2,NO x, and VOCs. 90% of smoke emissions are PM 10 and 70% are PM % of smoke emissions are PM 10 and 70% are PM 2.5 Emissions can affect regional air quality and visibility Emissions can affect regional air quality and visibility Need modeling tools to evaluate the impacts of these emissions Need modeling tools to evaluate the impacts of these emissions

What is BlueSkyRains? BlueSkyRains - A Web-Based Information System to Help Manage Prescribed Burning, Wildland Fires and Agricultural Burning BlueSkyRains - A Web-Based Information System to Help Manage Prescribed Burning, Wildland Fires and Agricultural Burning Currently operational for the Northwest US Currently operational for the Northwest US Provides daily predictions of where smoke plumes will occur and relative areal impact information by predicting PM concentrations Provides daily predictions of where smoke plumes will occur and relative areal impact information by predicting PM concentrations BlueSky - A product developed by the USDA Forest Service that links computer models of fuel consumption and emissions, fire, weather, and smoke dispersion into one system for predicting the cumulative impacts of smoke from fires BlueSky - A product developed by the USDA Forest Service that links computer models of fuel consumption and emissions, fire, weather, and smoke dispersion into one system for predicting the cumulative impacts of smoke from fires RAINS - Rapid Access INformation System developed by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 - the GIS (mapping) part of the system RAINS - Rapid Access INformation System developed by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 - the GIS (mapping) part of the system Uses ArcIMS (the internet mapping service) and ArcSDE (the spatial database engine) Uses ArcIMS (the internet mapping service) and ArcSDE (the spatial database engine)

BlueSkyRains Framework (Taken from the USDA Forest Service website:

BlueSky Smoke Dispersion Smoke Dispersion simulated with CALPUFF and the HYSPLIT trajectory model Smoke Dispersion simulated with CALPUFF and the HYSPLIT trajectory model CALPUFF used to estimate PM concentrations CALPUFF used to estimate PM concentrations HYSPLIT used to create trajectories for mapping with RAINS HYSPLIT used to create trajectories for mapping with RAINS

BlueSkyRains Website (

What is SHRMC? USDA Southern High Resolution Modeling Center located in Athens, Georgia USDA Southern High Resolution Modeling Center located in Athens, Georgia Formed in 2001 by the University of Georgia and USDA Forest Service Formed in 2001 by the University of Georgia and USDA Forest Service One of five FCAMS (Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke) One of five FCAMS (Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke)

What is SCRMC-4S? Dr. Gary Achtemeier, co-director of SHRMC, has led the development of a coupled prescribed fire-air chemistry modeling framework called the Southern Smoke Simulation System (4S) Dr. Gary Achtemeier, co-director of SHRMC, has led the development of a coupled prescribed fire-air chemistry modeling framework called the Southern Smoke Simulation System (4S) SHRMC-4S simulates and predicts chemical concentrations of smoke components SHRMC-4S simulates and predicts chemical concentrations of smoke components Designed to interface with EPA’s Models-3 community multi-scale air quality (CMAQ) modeling system Designed to interface with EPA’s Models-3 community multi-scale air quality (CMAQ) modeling system Uses a model called DAYSMOKE, developed by Dr. Achtemeier Uses a model called DAYSMOKE, developed by Dr. Achtemeier Simulates movement and deposition of smoke particles injected from fires Simulates movement and deposition of smoke particles injected from fires Provides plume rise and vertical distribution of smoke particles for input into CMAQ Provides plume rise and vertical distribution of smoke particles for input into CMAQ

Overview of the SHRMC-4S Framework

Status of SHRMC-4S and DAYSMOKE Unlike BlueSkyRains, still in development and testing stages Unlike BlueSkyRains, still in development and testing stages Collaboration between SHRMC and EPA Region 4 to compare DAYSMOKE with CALPUFF Collaboration between SHRMC and EPA Region 4 to compare DAYSMOKE with CALPUFF Also plans to compare SHRMC-4S with BlueSky once it is operational at SHRMC Also plans to compare SHRMC-4S with BlueSky once it is operational at SHRMC Additional technical detail is available in a paper titled “AIR QUALITY EFFECTS OF FLORIDA PRESCRIBED FIRES SIMULATED WITH CMAQ” available on the web: Additional technical detail is available in a paper titled “AIR QUALITY EFFECTS OF FLORIDA PRESCRIBED FIRES SIMULATED WITH CMAQ” available on the web:

Questions?