HTAP3 Fires: towards a multi-model, multi-pollutant study of fire impacts

Abstract. Open biomass burning has major impacts globally and regionally on atmospheric composition. Fire emissions include particulate matter, tropospheric ozone precursors, and greenhouse gases, as well as persistent organic pollutants, mercury, and other metals. Fire frequency, intensity, duration, and location are changing as the climate warms, and modelling these fires and their impacts is becoming more and more critical to inform climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as land management. Indeed, the air pollution from fires can reverse the progress made by emission controls on industry and transportation. At the same time, nearly all aspects of fire modelling – such as emissions, plume injection height, long-range transport, and plume chemistry – are highly uncertain. This paper outlines a multi-model, multi-pollutant, multi-regional study to improve the understanding of the uncertainties and variability in fire atmospheric science, models, and fires' impacts, in addition to providing quantitative estimates of the air pollution and radiative impacts of biomass burning. Coordinated under the auspices of the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution, the international atmospheric modelling and fire science communities are working towards the common goal of improving global fire modelling and using this multi-model experiment to provide estimates of fire pollution for impact studies. This paper outlines the research needs, opportunities, and options for the fire-focused multi-model experiments and provides guidance for these modelling experiments, outputs, and analyses that are to be pursued over the next 3 to 5 years. The paper proposes a plan for delivering specific products at key points over this period to meet important milestones relevant to science and policy audiences.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geoscientific model development
Published
2025-06-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-3265-2025
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Fire effects on ecosystems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.32

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article

HTAP3 Fires: towards a multi-model, multi-pollutant study of fire impacts

Yuanyu Xie, J. L. McCarty, D. Tan, Wenfu Tang et al.
3 citations
Geoscientific model development
Fire effects on ecosystems
3.32
article

HTAP3 Fires: towards a multi-model, multi-pollutant study of fire impacts

Yuanyu Xie, J. L. McCarty, D. Tan, Wenfu Tang, Rebecca R. Buchholz, S. R. Arnold, Cynthia Whaley, Rupal Ambulkar, Paquita Zuidema, Oliver Wild, Mariano Mertens, J.A. Adame, Jianmin Ma, Saurabh Sonwani, Mark Parrington, Douglas S. Hamilton, Meiyun Lin, Pallavi Saxena, Johannes W. Kaiser, Tianjia Liu, Christine Wiedinmyer, Kostas Tsigaridis, Veerachai Tanpipat, Christoph Knote, Elisa Bergas‐Massó, J. W. Kaminski, Tim Butler, Hayley Hung, Vanisa Surapipith, Benjamin Gaubert, Min Huang, Kasemsan Manomaiphiboon, Gerbrand Koren, Jean-Luc Kouassi, Helene Peiro
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Abstract. Open biomass burning has major impacts globally and regionally on atmospheric composition. Fire emissions include particulate matter, tropospheric ozone precursors, and greenhouse gases, as well as persistent organic pollutants, mercury, and other metals. Fire frequency, intensity, duration, and location are changing as the climate warms, and modelling these fires and their impacts is becoming more and more critical to inform climate adaptation and mitigation, as well as land management. Indeed, the air pollution from fires can reverse the progress made by emission controls on industry and transportation. At the same time, nearly all aspects of fire modelling – such as emissions, plume injection height, long-range transport, and plume chemistry – are highly uncertain. This paper outlines a multi-model, multi-pollutant, multi-regional study to improve the understanding of the uncertainties and variability in fire atmospheric science, models, and fires' impacts, in addition to providing quantitative estimates of the air pollution and radiative impacts of biomass burning. Coordinated under the auspices of the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution, the international atmospheric modelling and fire science communities are working towards the common goal of improving global fire modelling and using this multi-model experiment to provide estimates of fire pollution for impact studies. This paper outlines the research needs, opportunities, and options for the fire-focused multi-model experiments and provides guidance for these modelling experiments, outputs, and analyses that are to be pursued over the next 3 to 5 years. The paper proposes a plan for delivering specific products at key points over this period to meet important milestones relevant to science and policy audiences.

Geoscientific model developmentVol. 18(11)
NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (US), Thammasat University (TH), University of Delhi (IN), Goddard Institute for Space Studies (US), Ames Research Center (US), University of Leeds (GB), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IN), Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA), North Carolina State University (US), Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment (TH), University of Miami (US), Presidency University (IN), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US), University of Augsburg (DE), University of Colorado Boulder (US), NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (US), Utrecht University (NL), Kasetsart University (TH), Peking University (CN), University of California, Irvine (US), Princeton Public Schools (US), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB), Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (DE), Institute of Environmental Protection (PL), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (ES), Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (CI), Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (US), Space Research Organisation Netherlands (NL), University of Maryland, College Park (US), NILU (NO), Lancaster University (GB), Columbia University (US), Savitribai Phule Pune University (IN), University of Edinburgh (GB)
U.S. Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Commission, AXA Research Fund, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Fire effects on ecosystems
3.32
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