What It’s Like to Fly Through a Plume of Wildfire Smoke

Investigating the Impact of Wildfires on Air Quality in the U.S.

Introduction

In What It’s Like, people tell us, well, what it’s like to have experiences many of us have not even imagined. In this entry, we spoke to Carsten Warneke, a research physicist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who investigates how wildfires affect air quality in the U.S. One way he does this is by flying through the smoke plumes of active fires in a passenger aircraft that has been retooled for scientific research, in order to collect and analyze samples of the smoke-filled air. As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity due to anthropogenic climate change, they pose a public health risk, and it is essential for the agency to measure the impact of wildfires on air quality.

A Day in the Life of Carsten Warneke

Warneke told us about a day in his life, flying a NASA DC-8 aircraft during the Williams Flats Fire, a wildfire that burned more than 5,000 acres in northeastern Washington in August 2019. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Flying Through the Smoke Plumes

• We knew what was coming when we saw the monster of a plume. It was so much bigger than anything else we had seen. But we are scientists, so we were geeking out. The excitement for measuring such a large plume trumped everything.
• Our goal was to measure as close to the fire as possible to get emissions and then follow the plume downwind to see how those emissions changed.
• The plume was 20,000 to 25,000 feet in altitude, so we decided to fly through around 1,000 feet below the top of the plume. You can’t fly directly over the fire because the updraft is so large it would be extremely dangerous. In a fire that size, there are pieces of branches and stuff going a couple thousand feet into the air, so we had to go higher up.

The Experience Inside the Plume

It was a nice day, with clear, bright blue skies otherwise. The Williams Flats plume was so thick that the light attenuation was only 10 percent of what it was outside of the plume. Most of the time during the flight, I sat in the cockpit with the pilots, in a jump seat. When we initially flew through the plume, the cockpit turned this eerie orange color and you couldn’t see anything outside. It smelled like fire too. It was like sitting next to a campfire. This all took less than a minute, and then we were back in clear blue skies. The smell lingered for a little while, and then it was gone too.

Measuring Air Quality at Different Distances

We repeated this over and over, getting farther away from the fire, to measure the air at different distances. So, with each pass, it got brighter and smelled less like smoke.

Planning and Instrumentation

The planning for these missions is about a three-year time frame from when we decide to begin the campaign. We need to decide which instruments to bring and how we put those instruments on the plane. Then, once we have all that decided, we move on to deciding where the instrument is going to go, exactly how heavy it is, and if the aircraft is even worthy of carrying out the campaign. As you can imagine, an aircraft is about the worst environment you want to put your high-performing atmospheric instruments in. These instruments are like the Formula One race cars of atmospheric chemistry.

Instrument Setup and Noise

Each instrument is a few hundred pounds and around the size of a washer/dryer combo. They have a lot going on: a monitor, weird pumps, vacuum, fittings, and so on. The window next to each of these instruments has been replaced with an aluminum plate that has a little wing on the outside of it, to be more aerodynamic and reduce drag. Within that little wing, we stick the tube to collect air samples. There is a first-class passenger seat next to each instrument for the scientist that is in charge of making it run properly.

Coping with Flight Conditions

• It gets really bumpy during the flight. A lot of airsickness bags are used. The people who do this more often know that you need to be well rested and eat properly to keep the airsickness at bay. I usually start with sweet stuff—chocolate wafers are my favorite—and then switch to salty, which is usually potato chips, and drink a lot of water. Some people also use airsickness patches.
• All of the instruments make the environment extremely noisy. Everyone has a headset on to communicate and help with the noise. We are up in each flight for eight or more hours, so we have to keep ourselves entertained. We play trivia over
  

  SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

  1. 
     

     SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

     • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
     • Indicator: Air quality index and levels of pollutants such as smoke particles.

  2. 
     

     SDG 13: Climate Action

     • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
     • Indicator: Frequency and intensity of wildfires due to anthropogenic climate change.

  Analysis

  1. 
     

     SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

     The article discusses the impact of wildfires on air quality and the associated public health risks. This aligns with SDG 3, which aims to ensure good health and well-being for all. The target 3.9 specifically addresses reducing deaths and illnesses from air pollution, which includes pollutants from wildfires. The article mentions the need to measure the impact of wildfires on air quality, indicating the relevance of this target.

  2. 
     

     SDG 13: Climate Action

     The article highlights the increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires due to anthropogenic climate change. This connects to SDG 13, which focuses on taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Target 13.1 specifically addresses strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards, including wildfires. The article implies the need to measure the frequency and intensity of wildfires as an indicator of progress towards this target.

  Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

  SDGs	Targets	Indicators
  SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.	Air quality index and levels of pollutants such as smoke particles.
  SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.	Frequency and intensity of wildfires due to anthropogenic climate change.

  Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

  Source: slate.com

   

  

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