{"id":28368,"date":"2025-08-12T19:41:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T19:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=28368"},"modified":"2025-08-12T19:41:22","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T19:41:22","slug":"the-hidden-danger-how-wildfire-smoke-increases-ozone-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/the-hidden-danger-how-wildfire-smoke-increases-ozone-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden Danger: How Wildfire Smoke Increases Ozone Levels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A University of Utah-led study shows wildfire smoke can significantly increase ozone levels, posing severe health risks. <\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>New research conducted by the University of Utah, in collaboration with San Jose State University and the University of Colorado Denver. has revealed a hidden danger lurking in wildfire smoke, one that significantly increases ozone levels and poses severe public health risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1352231025003796\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the journal Atmospheric Environment, sheds light on how wildfire smoke can exacerbate ozone pollution to levels that surpass federal health standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe question I wanted to ask was, if we don\u2019t have urban emissions, let\u2019s say that we zero out all emissions, will we still have an ozone problem?\u201d lead author&nbsp;Derek Mallia, a research assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah, said in a news release. \u201cThis study suggests that we could remove all of the regional emissions from anthropogenic sources of NOx, but fires can still produce a large amount of ozone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Double Dose of Air Pollution&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The research highlights the dual threat posed by wildfire smoke: it not only results in significant emissions of fine particulate matter but also increases ozone concentrations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mallia&#8217;s team utilized coupled computer models, <a href=\"https:\/\/home.chpc.utah.edu\/~u0631741\/wrf-sfire\/WRF_Sfire_Presentation.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WRF-Sfire<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www2.acom.ucar.edu\/wrf-chem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WRF-Chem<\/a>, to simulate a record-setting smoke event in 2020, a year marked by some of the most severe wildfires in modern U.S. history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the period of August 15-26, 2020, the Western United States experienced devastating fires, including California\u2019s August Complex fire which burned over 1 million acres. The study found that wildfire smoke increases ozone concentrations by an average of 21 parts per billion (ppb). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Ozone was roughly 20 to 30% higher because of wildfire smoke,&#8221; Mallia added. &#8220;That\u2019s pretty big.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Intricacies of Ozone Formation&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ozone formation is a complex process that occurs when oxygen atoms from other pollutants recombine through a photochemical reaction driven by sunlight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The primary drivers of this reaction are nitric oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the latter being major components of wildfire smoke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While NOx is more commonly associated with human activities such as vehicle emissions and industrial processes, the study illustrates that even in remote areas with few anthropogenic sources, wildfires can still drive significant ozone pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further complicating the scenario is the fact that smoke can also shade sunlight, which can reduce the rate of ozone formation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou also have a lot of particulate matter, which is a pollutant, too, but it can block sunlight and therefore that will reduce the amount of sunlight available for ozone photochemistry. It can be substantial in some cases,\u201d Mallia added. &#8220;If you\u2019re right over the fire, there\u2019s usually enough smoke shading where it limits the amount of ozone. But if you get far enough away and the plume becomes relatively diffuse, it\u2019s usually not thick enough to really limit ozone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Implications for Air Quality Management&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The study&#8217;s key takeaway is the urgent need to refine existing models to better predict and manage air quality. As wildfires become more frequent and severe due to climate change, tools like WRF-Sfire and WRF-Chem are essential for forecasting air quality during wildfire seasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, these tools require continuous improvement to handle the complex dynamics of wildfire smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study called for enhanced predictive models to aid public health officials in issuing accurate advisories and mitigating potential health hazards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/attheu.utah.edu\/research\/wildfire-smoke-exacerbates-ozone-pollution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Utah<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research conducted by the University of Utah, in collaboration with San Jose State University and the University of Colorado Denver. has revealed a hidden danger lurking in wildfire smoke, one that significantly increases ozone levels and poses severe public health risks. This study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, sheds light on how wildfire [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[439,71,217],"class_list":["post-28368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-and-environment","tag-san-jose-state-university","tag-university-of-colorado-denver","tag-university-of-utah"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"New research conducted by the University of Utah, in collaboration with San Jose State University and the University of Colorado Denver. has revealed a hidden danger lurking in wildfire smoke, one that significantly increases ozone levels and poses severe public health risks. This study, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, sheds light on how wildfire&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28368"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28376,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28368\/revisions\/28376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}