Assessment of the impact of the great plains biomass burning on the air quality of the Kansas City metro area

Title from PDF of title page viewed August 10, 2021Thesis advisor: Jimmy AdegokeVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 70-75)Thesis (M.S.)--Department of Earth and Environmental Science. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2021This study investigates the impact of biomass burning smoke emissions from the Great Plains on Kansas City’s Air quality from 2015 to 2019 (5 years). The daily data of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter less than 2.5m aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) were analyzed, with carbon monoxide being the major tracer for the emission of biomass burning among the four pollutants of air quality. Carbon monoxide monthly average baseline concentration for the 5 years studied was 5.07ppm, which was the lowest concentration of carbon monoxide observed during that period. Analysis for each year in the 5-year period was performed using the two highest peak months and identifying potential sources of carbon monoxide enhancement. Identification of peak months involved finding the two months with the highest averages for each year and plotting a daily time series for each of the two highest monthly averages to identify which day the peak occurred. A 5-day backward trajectory for each peak day was computed from the NOAA HYSPLIT website at 500m, 1000, and 1500m above ground level to track the path of airflow into Kansas City (KC). Fire detections for days leading up to the CO peak period were also plotted to link the emission of biomass burning to the enhanced level of CO in the Kansas City Metro Area. The main objectives of this study are: (1) to understand the seasonality of fire-related CO impact and its enhancement level and (2) to determine the co-occurrence of carbon monoxide with the other air pollutants in Kansas City during the 5-year period of study. Our results show that, during the 5-year study period (2015 to 2019), the enhancement of carbon monoxide was mainly due to biomass burning in the Northern Great Plains and the midwestern part of the United States. Kansas State in the Southern Great Plains also contributes to biomass burning pollution that impacts the KC air quality, with corresponding increases in nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 around the same time period.Introduction --Literature review on biomass burning in Great Plains -- The history of Kansas City air quality -- Data description and method of analysis -- Results and discussion -- Conclusio