Ozone Formation in Summertime Wildfire Smoke
We are collecting additional air quality measurements during the summer of 2026 at the Roosevelt site to better understand how wildfire smoke affects ozone levels. These data will be used to complete an analysis of wildfire impacts on summertime ozone in the region. The results will then be summarized and prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
(Seth Lyman, Trevor O'Neil)
Project End: Winter 2026-27
Funding: Utah Legislation and SSD1
Project Updates
Updated March 2026
- Major Findings:
- Results indicate that the photochemical box model is able to successfully reproduce the key chemical processes observed during days affected by wildfire smoke. This suggests that the model is capturing the major reactions and pollutant formation pathways occurring under smoky conditions, providing confidence in its use for analyzing and understanding the impact of wildfire smoke on air quality.
- Results indicate that the photochemical box model is able to successfully reproduce the key chemical processes observed during days affected by wildfire smoke. This suggests that the model is capturing the major reactions and pollutant formation pathways occurring under smoky conditions, providing confidence in its use for analyzing and understanding the impact of wildfire smoke on air quality.
- Current and Upcoming Work:
- The photochemical box model has been completed and is now ready to be applied to our measurement data. We will use the model to evaluate how much additional ozone is produced during wildfire smoke events for the periods when air quality measurements were collected. This analysis will help improve our understanding of how wildfire smoke contributes to ozone formation.
- This spring, the Roosevelt monitoring station will be upgraded with additional instruments to collect more detailed measurements during periods when wildfire smoke is present. These improvements will help capture better data on smoke plumes and their effects on air quality.
- The photochemical box model has been completed and is now ready to be applied to our measurement data. We will use the model to evaluate how much additional ozone is produced during wildfire smoke events for the periods when air quality measurements were collected. This analysis will help improve our understanding of how wildfire smoke contributes to ozone formation.
- Problems:
- If significant wildfire smoke events are not observed during the 2026 summer season, completion of this project may need to be extended until the winter of 2026–27 to allow additional opportunities to collect the necessary data.