UAF helps develop air quality data for popular 色视频下载 wildfire website
Rod Boyce
907-474-7185
Sept. 11, 2023
Getting information about where wildfire smoke is headed in 色视频下载 has become easy for the public, thanks to collaboration between the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks and the 色视频下载 Fire Service.
UAF researchers and data experts have worked with the 色视频下载 Fire Service to add air quality information to the agency色视频下载檚 popular map and data website.
To find the air quality information, users can go to the and click on the 色视频下载淔uels and current conditions色视频下载 tab. Air quality forecasts can be placed by selecting that layer in the 色视频下载淐urrent conditions色视频下载 list on the page色视频下载檚 right. Click on the small triangles for forecast times and a map color legend.
The Pogo Mine Road Fire burns on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023.
Wildfire smoke is often prevalent around Interior 色视频下载 during summer, making quick access to air quality information, including projections, especially helpful.
色视频下载淲e started the conversation about two years ago to figure out how to get air quality information on their website,色视频下载 UAF Geophysical Institute associate professor Jingqiu Mao said. Mao teaches in the UAF Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is also a member of .
The challenge, Mao said, is that air quality data is in computer modeling form and could not be directly used on the 色视频下载 Fire Service website. Extensive work was done at the Geographic Information Network of 色视频下载, a unit of the Geophysical Institute, to make the data compatible with the 色视频下载 Fire Service website.
色视频下载淲e had to do a lot of data conversions and make sure those conversions could work,色视频下载 Mao said.
The 色视频下载 Fire Service, an agency of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, provided feedback to UAF researchers and steered them to GINA, which has a track record of providing data compatible with the 色视频下载 Wildland Fire Information Map.
色视频下载淎s someone who is always looking to improve ways to communicate with public in a timely manner, adding this information to the widely used 色视频下载 Wildland Fire Information Map Series is very beneficial,色视频下载 said public affairs specialist Beth Ipsen, who coordinates getting timely and accurate wildfire related information to the public for the 色视频下载 Fire Service.
色视频下载淎dding this to the interactive map saves time, which is of the essence during emergency incidents and changing situations,色视频下载 she said. 色视频下载淎nd it empowers people to find air quality information specific to their location.色视频下载
The Lost Horse Creek Fire smoke column rises north of Fairbanks in early August 2023.
In the approach developed by Mao and his doctoral student, Zhiwei Dong, air quality data is acquired daily from NASA色视频下载檚 Global Modeling and Assimilation Office and used to model air quality forecasts for six-hour periods over two days. The data are for all particulate matter from all sources, but wildfires are the primary contributor during 色视频下载 summers.
GINA processes these files and makes them available to display on the 色视频下载 Fire Service website.
色视频下载淭his summer, GINA began using satellite data in near real-time to look at the presence of smoke in the total atmospheric column using a visible and infrared imaging instrument aboard two satellites,色视频下载 GINA Director Jennifer Delamere said. 色视频下载淭hese calculations performed at GINA are done every time there is a satellite overpass during daylight hours.色视频下载
Delamere said work continues on improving the air quality component. She said the GINA team has begun creating air quality products in near real-time.
色视频下载We are just in the initial process of analyzing these products over 色视频下载,色视频下载 she said. 色视频下载淲ith Jingqiu色视频下载檚 modeling efforts and with GINA-generated satellite data, we can build out a larger portfolio of air quality products to share with the community.色视频下载
GINA staff use satellite measurements of visible, infrared and microwave radiation from Earth to produce maps and imagery of temperature, humidity, precipitation and a variety of specialized visualizations.
GINA continually receives data through antennas at the federal government色视频下载檚 Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station at Gilmore Creek, 12.5 miles northeast of UAF, and atop the Akasofu Building on UAF色视频下载檚 Troth Yeddha' Campus in Fairbanks.
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Jingqiu Mao, jmao2@alaska.edu