Wildfires and Air Quality

Makoto Kelp researches the interplay between wildfires, prescribed burns, and land-climate dynamics across multiple scales. His work also examines the historical and future societal impacts of these processes.

The increasing frequency of wildfires in the US presents pressing environmental challenges that endanger public health, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Factors such as a warming climate, the legacy of fire suppression, and population growth in wildland-urban areas amplify the risk of large wildfires. Exposure to wildfire smoke consisting of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) poses significant health impacts to respiratory health and longevity. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce hazardous fuels through increased prescribed burning in the Western US, the consideration of averting future smoke from wildfire-prone areas is not taken into account during prescribed burn planning. To effectively guide land managers and allocate limited firefighting resources, it is essential to consider both the smoke generated by prescribed burns and the potential smoke that can be avoided from future wildfires. Developing accurate modeling tools and strategies is crucial for reducing the impact of wildfires and improving predictions of land-climate interactions. Equally important is addressing concerns of equity and environmental justice by actively considering vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by these environmental hazards in research, policymaking, and resource allocation.

Makoto is integrating a high-resolution dynamic vegetation model with an online coupled chemistry-weather model to study the impact of prescribed fires on smoke exposure at high spatial resolution (3 km). His objective is to advance the mechanistic understanding of prescribed burning efficacy in a warming climate and develop strategies to mitigate socio-ecological impacts of wildfires. His research aims to inform effective wildfire management and impact reduction strategies.