Monitoring Air Pollution from Wildfires Using Ground Data, Satellite Products and Modeling: The Austral Summer 2016-2017 In Argentina

The air pollution caused by the immense wildfire that occurred in Northeast Patagonia, Argentina in the summer 2016-2017 is presented in this work through the assessment of ground-based data, satellite measurements and modeled concentrations of NO, NO 2 , CO, PM2.5, PM10 and AOD. The data was obtained from a monitoring station placed in Bahia Blanca city; the OMI (Aura), MOPITT and MODIS (Terra) satellite sensors, and the APIFLAME-WRF-CHIMERE modeling system was used to estimate the chemical processes and atmospheric transport of pollutants emitted. A concentration higher than usual was found for December 20th and 21st 2016 and January 1st 2017 for every species, at Bahia Blanca’s station. Satellite daily data was acquired for a specific day and modeled results were also exhibited for a qualitative assessment. The models obtained satisfactory results, according to the satellite survey. Finally, it was possible to assess air pollution from a wildfire by means of the combination of these different data sources.