“Historically, we haven’t really been able to study those types of questions at a broad spatial, temporal scale,” Mr. Wen said.
It’s clear that wildfires have become more frequent and intense in recent years, fueled in part by climate change’s role in drying out many landscapes.
Less clear to scientists has been how smoke from these fires has changed over time.
The new study shows that as fires have worsened, so has their smoke: From 2016 to 2020, the U.S. population experienced double the smoke pollution that it did 10 years earlier, from 2006 to 2010.
While the study focused on historical data, some of its methods can also be used to predict where smoke from a new fire will travel.
Persons:
”, Jeff Wen, Mr, Wen
Organizations:
Stanford
Locations:
United States, U.S