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Performance testing of next generation air sensors during wildfires
Citation:
Holder, A., A. Mebust, D. Vallano, L. Maghran, K. Stewart, R. Elleman, M. McGown, AND K. Baker. Performance testing of next generation air sensors during wildfires. Air Sensors International Conference, Oakland, CA, September 12 - 14, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Recent increases in the frequency and severity of wildfires have led to increased smoke exposure in communities within western states. The current approach to wildfire smoke risk communication is often limited by the relative sparsity of existing regulatory monitoring networks in rural locations where wildfire smoke impacts are more often experienced. Air sensors may be able to fill spatial and temporal gaps in the existing monitoring network and better inform the public – and sensitive populations in particular – about their air quality and smoke exposure risk during wildfires. We deployed lower-cost air quality sensors at a wildfire in California and compared the response to conventional particulate monitors. The sensors were strongly correlated with the traditional monitor, but reported concentrations nearly twice as high. These lower-cost alternatives show promise in expanding temporary air quality monitoring networks for wildfires, but will require further evaluation to determine if correction factors are broadly applicable.
Description:
Recent increases in the frequency and severity of wildfires have led to increased smoke exposure in communities within western states. The current approach to wildfire smoke risk communication is often limited by the relative sparsity of existing regulatory monitoring networks in rural locations where wildfire smoke impacts are more often experienced. Air sensors may be able to fill spatial and temporal gaps in the existing monitoring network and better inform the public – and sensitive populations in particular – about their air quality and smoke exposure risk during wildfires. However, it is critical to understand how emerging air sensor technologies perform in these settings to ensure appropriate communication about potential exposure to the public. This poster will discuss preliminary results from an EPA research project to deploy next-generation PM2.5 air sensors during a wildland fire event and evaluate sensor performance and accuracy under smoky conditions. This project also aims to address questions related to the results of the performance evaluation, such as how to incorporate sensor data into the existing framework for wildfire air quality monitoring and how to communicate results from these sensor datasets to the public, schools, health officials, and others.