Disproportionately large impacts of wildland-urban interface fire emissions on global air quality and human health

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr2616
• Publication Date: 2025-03-14T17:58:26Z
• Authors: Wenfu Tang; Louisa K. Emmons; Christine Wiedinmyer; Debatosh B. Partha; Yaoxian Huang; Cenlin He; Junzhe Zhang; Kelley C. Barsanti; Benjamin Gaubert; Duseong S. Jo; Jun Zhang; Rebecca Buchholz; Simone Tilmes; Francis Vitt; Claire Granier; Helen M. Worden; Pieternel F. Levelt
• Keywords: Wildland–urban interface

Fires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are a global issue with growing importance. However, impact of WUI fires on air quality and health is less understood compared to that wildland. We analyze fire impacts at scale using multi-scale atmospheric chemistry model—the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry Aerosols model (MUSICA). have notable key pollutants [e.g., carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ozone (O 3 )]. The emission disproportionately large wildland primarily because closer human settlement. Globally, fraction fire–caused annual premature deaths (APDs) all APDs about three times emissions emissions. developed framework can be applied address critical needs understanding mitigating their impacts.