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Kobziar LN, Lampman P, Tohidi A, Kochanski AK, Cervantes A, Hudak AT, McCarley R, Gullett B, Aurell J, Moore R, Vuono DC, Christner BC, Watts AC, Cronan J, Ottmar R. Bacterial Emission Factors: A Foundation for the Terrestrial-Atmospheric Modeling of Bacteria Aerosolized by Wildland Fires. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:2413-2422. [PMID: 38266235 PMCID: PMC10851933 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Wildland fire is a major global driver in the exchange of aerosols between terrestrial environments and the atmosphere. This exchange is commonly quantified using emission factors or the mass of a pollutant emitted per mass of fuel burned. However, emission factors for microbes aerosolized by fire have yet to be determined. Using bacterial cell concentrations collected on unmanned aircraft systems over forest fires in Utah, USA, we determine bacterial emission factors (BEFs) for the first time. We estimate that 1.39 × 1010 and 7.68 × 1011 microbes are emitted for each Mg of biomass consumed in fires burning thinning residues and intact forests, respectively. These emissions exceed estimates of background bacterial emissions in other studies by 3-4 orders of magnitude. For the ∼2631 ha of similar forests in the Fishlake National Forest that burn each year on average, an estimated 1.35 × 1017 cells or 8.1 kg of bacterial biomass were emitted. BEFs were then used to parametrize a computationally scalable particle transport model that predicted over 99% of the emitted cells were transported beyond the 17.25 x 17.25 km model domain. BEFs can be used to expand understanding of global wildfire microbial emissions and their potential consequences to ecosystems, the atmosphere, and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leda N. Kobziar
- Department
of Natural Resources and Society, University
of Idaho, 1031 N. Academic Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814, United States
| | - Phinehas Lampman
- Department
of Natural Resources and Society, University
of Idaho, 1031 N. Academic Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814, United States
| | - Ali Tohidi
- Mechanical
Engineering Department, Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, San Jose State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Adam K. Kochanski
- Department
of Meteorology and Climate Science, Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research
Center, San Jose State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Antonio Cervantes
- Mechanical
Engineering Department, Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center, San Jose State University, San Jose, California 95192, United States
| | - Andrew T. Hudak
- Rocky
Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Moscow, Idaho 83846, United States
| | - Ryan McCarley
- Department
of Forest, Fire and Rangeland Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, United States
| | - Brian Gullett
- Office of
Research and Development, Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina 27711, United States
| | - Johanna Aurell
- Office of
Research and Development, Environmental
Protection Agency, Research Triangle
Park, North Carolina 27711, United States
| | - Rachel Moore
- Department
of Microbiology and Cell Science, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - David C. Vuono
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Brent C. Christner
- Department
of Microbiology and Cell Science, University
of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, United States
| | - Adam C. Watts
- Pacific
Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest
Service, Wenatchee, Washington 98801, United States
| | - James Cronan
- Pacific
Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest
Service, Seattle, Washington 98103, United States
| | - Roger Ottmar
- Pacific
Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest
Service, Seattle, Washington 98103, United States
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