Studies of forest fire induced changes in atmosphere over Uttarakhand, India, using space based observations and model simulations

The northern Indian state of Uttarakhand had witnessed an episode of intense forest fire during April-May 2016. The present study analyses the changes in trace gas and other atmospheric constituents induced by the forest fire using satellite data. The study reveals elevated levels of CO, NO2, ozone and aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the affected region. Higher levels of CO are observed at altitudes of 2-3 km. The column amount of CO has almost doubled from mean background values, whereas NO2 has increased by almost three times to values normally seen over highly polluted cities. Increase in ozone is only moderate and AOD has risen towards the end of the main phase of the fire episode. Weather research and forecasting simulations of wind and planetary boundary layer height are also performed and the results discussed. The study shows the potential of Earth-Observation Satellites to track and monitor such environmental impacts effectively.