Journal article
Wildfire smoke and PM2.5 pollution in Chicago: Evidence from 2019 to 2023
Urban climate, Vol.61, 102472
06/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102472
Abstract
Wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, emit pollutants like PM2.5 that harm human health. This study investigates PM2.5 pollution in Chicago from 2019 to 2023, focusing on the impact of smoke originating from wildfires across North America. Despite the absence of local wildfires, transported smoke causes significant deterioration of air quality and poses health risks. Our analysis, leveraging data from the Hazard Mapping System and the Air Quality System, reveals that the number of days with PM2.5 levels exceeding 35 μg/m3 (unhealthy conditions) increased from 0 to 11 per year, and days with smoke presence increased by 81 % from 2019 to 2023. Utilizing NASA's Worldview images and NOAA's HYSPLIT model, we show that 11 out of 24 high-PM2.5 days were linked to transported wildfire smoke, with 10 of these days occurring in 2023. Further research is needed to understand the meteorological conditions that facilitate the transport of wildfire smoke to Chicago and its impact on ground-level air quality. Our findings indicate that wildfire smoke significantly contributes to higher PM2.5 levels and exceedances in Chicago, posing a challenge to meeting the tightened National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM2.5. Addressing these challenges is critical as wildfire activity is projected to increase due to climate change.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Wildfire smoke and PM2.5 pollution in Chicago: Evidence from 2019 to 2023
- Creators
- Nora Hartnett - Loyola University ChicagoPing Jing - Loyola University ChicagoBo Zhang - Loyola University ChicagoMatthew Stuart - Loyola University ChicagoJun Wang - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Urban climate, Vol.61, 102472
- Publisher
- ELSEVIER
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.uclim.2025.102472
- ISSN
- 2212-0955
- eISSN
- 2212-0955
- Grant note
- National Science FoundationAlvin H. Baum Family Fund
This project is funded by the National Science Foundation Award 211946. Nora Hartnett is supported by the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/2025
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Physics and Astronomy; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984825535102771
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