Climate

From the top of the world, scientists seek clues to wildfire smoke

September 20, 2020

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By InvestigateWest

Wildfires are growing in frequency and intensity, threatening our landscape, our lifestyle and our health. “Smoky Skies, Altered Lives” probes how the upsurge in fire and smoke fueled by climate change puts us at risk, and how restoring the health of our forests could make a difference.

Researchers take a ski lift ride to their lab atop Oregon's Mount Bachelor, where they work to discover the components of wood smoke. Credit: Adam Bacher

Atop Mount Bachelor in Oregon, inside a building primarily used as a ski lift turnaround, University of Washington researcher Dan Jaffe and colleagues are working on a multi-million-dollar, multi-university study to monitor wildfire smoke. Jaffe says, “We probably have a bigger collection of mass spectrometers on the top of a mountain the United States than anyone’s ever put there before.” Researchers are studying what’s in wildfire smoke, in order to help scientists and doctors to better understand what tiny bits of ash can do to human bodies and the environment. Through his work, Jaffe has become part of a global network of researchers trying to better understand what smoke does to us, and what we can do about it. More photos in the accompanying photo gallery. Credit: Adam Bacher

Ryan Farley of UC-Davis is part of a team looking at particulate matter from wood smoke by using an aerosol mass spectrometer. Credit: Adam Bacher

The team measures tiny particles less than 1 micron across in size, which is many times thinner than a human hair. During this session in 2019, the team saw evidence of biomass burning in Alaska and possibly Siberia, said Ryan Farley (right). Credit: Adam Bacher

A student works with a "thermal desorption ATD sampler," or a volatile organic compounds sampler. It helps analyze air to gauge where smoke or other organic compounds are coming from. Credit: Adam Bacher

Gathering around the laptop: Ryan Farley (left), Phil Rund, Noah Bernays and Claire Buysse. “It’s pretty sweet," Buysse said of working on the mountain summit, "especially being on the mountain and just like getting to look outside and just do research up here. It’s definitely a fun ride. Not something you're going to do every day.” Credit: Adam Bacher

Phil Rund (left), a University of Washington graduate student, said part of the job is lugging nitrogen cylinders and equipment to the mountaintop research area via ski lift. "It’s definitely a little stressful to get all of this and the instrument on a ski lift up here, but it’s a really cool job." Credit: Adam Bacher

Published in: Climate, Wildfires

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