the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A Multi-site Passive Approach for Studying the Emissions and Evolution of Smoke from Prescribed Fires
Abstract. We conducted a two-year study utilizing a network of fixed sites with sampling throughout an extended prescribed burning period to characterize the emissions and evolution of smoke from silvicultural prescribed burning in the southeastern US. The measurement approach and an assessment of instrument performance is described. Smoke sources are identified, and plume ages are determined to quantify emissions and study the evolution of smoke PM2.5 mass, black carbon (BC), and brown carbon (BrC). Over the 2021 and 2022 prescribed burning seasons (nominally January to May,) we identified 64 smoke events based on high levels of PM2.5 mass, BC, BrC, and carbon monoxide (CO), of which 61 were linked to a specific burning area. Smoke transport times were estimated using the mean wind speed along with distance between fire and measurement site, and with HYSPLIT back trajectories. PM2.5 emission ratios based on ΔPM2.5 mass/ΔCO for fresh smoke (age ≤ 1 hour) ranged between 0.04 and 0.18 µg m-3 ppb-1 with a mean of 0.117 µg m-3 ppb-1 (median of 0.121 µg m-3 ppb-1). Both the mean emission ratio and variability were similar to findings from other prescribed fire studies, but lower than wildfires. Mean emission ratios of BC and BrC were 0.014 µg m-3 ppb-1 and 0.442 Mm-1 ppb-1 respectively. Ozone enhancements (ΔO3) were always observed in plumes detected in the afternoon. ΔPM2.5 mass/ΔCO was observed to increase with plume age in all ozone enhanced plumes suggesting photochemical secondary aerosol formation. In contrast, ΔBrC/ΔCO was not found to vary with plume ages less than 8 hours during photochemically active periods.
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Status: open (until 16 Jul 2024)
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1485', Anonymous Referee #1, 28 Jun 2024
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general comments
The overall goal of this study was to investigate the emissions from prescribed fires. A continuous sampling was conducted over 2 years to determine emission ratios/ factors of PM2.5, BC, and BrC and their variability using fixed stations near regions of prescribed fires.
This manuscript represents a worthy contribution to the science of EF and is within the scope of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics – it has rich empirical data collected over 2 years of prescribed burns
Regarding the results discussed in the light of the international literature - most of the ref are from the US and there are a few from Australia and Africa -all related to savanna burning – which is an odd choice of references considering the study sites were “pine-dominated uplands, and hardwood-dominated bottomlands’ relate more to temperate forests than savannas. There are plenty of references for temperate southern Australian forests – would be more beneficial to compare studied emission factors/ ratio/ concentrations with relevant international literature.
I found ms a bit too long with too many minor details (at least for readers outside the USA or W Georgia specific area), I would prefer to read a more condensed version, less figures (there are 10 figures!) but a more prominent story. I kept going back and forward to make sure I keep track of the story.
L360-361 and elsewhere reduce ‘ respectively’ – ‘wind data are 75, 14, and 162 minutes for April 6 (blue shading), 7 (yellow shading) and 8 (green shading), 2021 events respectively.” - and just state number and date eg ‘75 min for April 6 (blue shading), 14 min for 7 April (yellow shading)” etc – it is a bit frustrating to stop and re-read which respectively corresponds to which number
technical corrections
please use SI units for area – ha not acres (at least provide ha in the brackets)
L108 –‘unintended wildfires’ -can a wildfire be intended?
L131-132- not sure what it means – ‘used as a smoke tracer to track its movement and dispersion’ -to track smoke movements or CO movement? Since its= CO. Did you mean ‘used as a tracer to track smoke movement ..’?
Also 1 month is not really a long-lived species
L362 – I am lost which 'respectively' you refer to “130, 10, and 40 minutes respectively” -75,14,162? or blue or yellow or green or all together?
L488 – ‘proscribed’- prescribed?
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1485-RC1
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