Report on Advanced Wildfire Smoke Monitoring and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Escalating Wildfire Threats and Public Health

North America is experiencing increasingly severe wildfire seasons, exemplified by the record-breaking events of 2023 and the dangerous start to the 2025 season. These events, exacerbated by climate change, pose a significant threat to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to health, environmental stability, and community resilience.

• The proliferation of wildfires directly undermines SDG 15 (Life on Land) by devastating forest ecosystems.
• The resulting smoke plumes expose millions of people to hazardous air quality, creating a public health crisis that challenges the targets of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
• The primary health concern is the inhalation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can penetrate deep into the lungs and worsen respiratory and cardiac conditions.

Limitations of Previous Monitoring Systems

For the past decade, air quality forecasting has relied on two primary methods, both with significant limitations:

1. Two-Dimensional Satellite Tracking: Traditional satellites could track the movement of smoke plumes but could not determine their altitude. This is a critical deficiency, as high-altitude smoke poses minimal direct health risk, while low-altitude smoke directly impacts the air people breathe.
2. Ground-Based Monitors: The Environmental Protection Agency’s network of ground monitors provides accurate data but is sparsely distributed, particularly in rural areas. This results in broad, estimated forecasts that lack the precision needed for localized public health warnings, hindering progress toward SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) which calls for safe and resilient human settlements.

Technological Innovation for Enhanced Air Quality Assessment

The TEMPO Satellite: A Three-Dimensional Perspective

A new satellite-based methodology, leveraging data from NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) satellite launched in 2023, represents a significant advancement in monitoring technology. This innovation directly supports SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) by building resilient infrastructure and fostering scientific research.

• The TEMPO satellite provides a three-dimensional view of smoke plumes by measuring how oxygen molecules absorb sunlight at a specific wavelength (688 nm).
• Smoke plumes at lower altitudes, where oxygen is denser, reflect less solar radiation. Plumes at higher altitudes reflect more.
• Algorithms use this data to infer the smoke’s altitude, allowing for a near-real-time 3D map of its movement.

Integration for Precise Health Risk Forecasting

By combining TEMPO’s altitude data with particulate measurements from NOAA’s GOES-R satellites, forecasters can now generate highly accurate, localized assessments of health risks. This integrated system provides data down to the neighborhood level, a crucial step for protecting public health.

Contributions to Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The new monitoring capability is a critical tool for advancing public health targets. By distinguishing between high-altitude and hazardous ground-level smoke, authorities can issue precise and timely air quality alerts. This allows individuals, especially vulnerable populations, to take protective measures, directly contributing to the goal of reducing illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air pollution.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The ability to provide hyper-local air quality data enhances the resilience of both urban and rural communities. Accurate forecasting enables better preparedness and response to environmental disasters like wildfires, making human settlements safer and more sustainable as mandated by SDG 11.

SDG 13: Climate Action

As rising global temperatures increase wildfire frequency and intensity, this technology serves as a vital tool for climate change adaptation. It strengthens resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards by providing the information necessary to mitigate the public health impacts of these events.

Conclusion: A New Era in Air Quality Management

The reversal of two decades of air quality improvements in the western U.S. due to wildfires underscores the urgency of this issue. The development of 3D smoke monitoring marks a new era in air quality forecasting. This technological advance is instrumental in protecting public health, building resilient communities, and adapting to the impacts of climate change, thereby supporting the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals in the face of escalating environmental threats.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article directly addresses public health by focusing on the hazardous effects of wildfire smoke. It explicitly states that smoke contains “wildfire chemicals and tiny particles” known as PM2.5, which “can get deep into the lungs and exacerbate asthma and other respiratory and cardiac problems.” The entire purpose of the new monitoring technology described is to “better protect public health.”

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article discusses the impact of air pollution on both “urban and rural areas alike.” It notes that millions of people in North America were exposed to hazardous smoke and that while air quality had been improving in U.S. cities due to regulations, “wildfires have reversed that trend in parts of the western U.S.” This connects directly to the goal of making human settlements safe, resilient, and sustainable, with a particular focus on air quality.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article establishes a clear link between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires. It states that “Fire risk is increasing across North America as global temperatures rise.” This positions wildfires as a climate-related hazard, and the development of advanced monitoring systems is presented as a measure to build resilience and adaptive capacity against these escalating threats.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The root cause of the smoke and air quality issue discussed is the “burning forests” during “dangerous wildfire season[s].” The article mentions the “record-breaking 2023 wildfire season,” highlighting the large-scale destruction of terrestrial ecosystems, specifically forests. This directly relates to the goal of protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss.

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

  A central theme of the article is technological innovation. It details a “new satellite-based method” using the TEMPO satellite to create a “3D picture of the smoke plumes.” This represents an advancement in scientific research and the development of resilient infrastructure (a nationwide smoke monitoring system) to provide “more accurate and timely information” for public safety.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.9: Substantially reduce deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air pollution.

   The article’s focus on the health risks from PM2.5 particles in wildfire smoke directly relates to this target. The new monitoring system is designed to provide better warnings so people can avoid exposure, thereby reducing illnesses related to air pollution.

2. Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality.

   The article highlights how wildfire smoke is degrading air quality, noting that it has “erased nearly two decades of air quality progress” in the western U.S. The effort to create detailed, neighborhood-level air quality forecasts is a direct response to managing this adverse environmental impact on cities and communities.

3. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

   Wildfires are presented as a climate-related hazard. The development of the TEMPO-based monitoring system is a tool to strengthen adaptive capacity. By providing near-real-time, 3D data on smoke plumes, it allows for better forecasting and public warnings, enhancing resilience to the health impacts of these disasters.

4. Target 15.1: Ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, in particular forests.

   The article’s premise is the “dangerous wildfire season” and “burning forests.” This points to a failure to meet the target of conserving forest ecosystems, as large tracts are being lost to fire.

5. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research and upgrade technological capabilities.

   The article is a case study for this target. It describes a collaborative research project between universities and federal agencies (NASA, NOAA) that has led to “advances in smoke monitoring” and a “new era in air quality forecasting,” which is a clear example of enhancing scientific research and technological capability.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 3.9.1 / 11.6.2: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution / Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5).

  The article explicitly and repeatedly mentions “tiny particles… known as PM2.5” as the primary health hazard in wildfire smoke. The entire monitoring system is designed to track these particles. The statement that wildfires have “erased nearly two decades of air quality progress” implies a measurable negative trend in PM2.5 levels, which is the core component of this indicator.

• Indicator 13.1.2: Number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies.

  The development of a “nationwide smoke monitoring system” and tools like NOAA’s “AerosolWatch” can be considered key components of a national disaster risk reduction strategy for the hazard of wildfire smoke. The article describes the implementation of such a system, which is a qualitative measure of progress for this indicator.

• Indicator 15.1.1: Forest area as a proportion of total land area.

  While not providing numbers, the article’s reference to a “record-breaking 2023 wildfire season” with widespread “burning forests” implies a significant reduction in forest area. The extent of burned land is a direct measure related to this indicator.

• Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure.

  The article describes a significant, multi-year research project supported by NASA (“my team’s NASA-supported research project on fire and air quality, called FireAQ”) involving new satellite technology (TEMPO) and collaboration between federal agencies and universities. This represents a substantial investment in research and development, which is what this indicator measures.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: theconversation.com