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October 6, 2015

Airpact helps predict where smoke will go

PULLMAN — A sophisticated tool developed by Washington State University has helped provide forecasts for air quality during wildfire season.

WSU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric Research created AIRPACT (Air Indicator Report for Public Awareness and Community Tracking), which it says was among the first high-resolution, Web-based air quality forecast systems in the country. It is used by agencies in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

AIRPACT analyzes weather forecasts and pollution data to predict ozone, particulates and other pollutants across the region. It receives wildfire data from satellites and produces air quality forecasts nightly.

Air quality forecasting is in a similar stage as weather forecasting was about 30 years ago, said Clint Bowman, a state Department of Ecology air dispersion modeler and meteorologist. He said the Northwest is a leader in air quality monitoring.

WSU researchers recently received a federal grant to improve AIRPACT for large wildfires, which can change the weather and meteorology in an area and make smoke predictions more difficult. They will also develop smartphone apps for air quality forecast data.




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