SmokeCast: Developing Planetary Intelligence to Forecast Wildfire Smoke Chemical Toxicity

Team: Scott Fendorf and William R. Van Dalsem

Wildfires release toxic metals in smoke, invoking a hazard to human health, but current forecasts only measure particle concentration (PM2.5) and are blind to chemical toxicity. This project will develop a forecasting system and a technology product that delivers timely, critical intelligence on smoke metal toxicity with hours to days of lead time, enhancing risk assessments and health warnings. The system aims to protect public health by providing early warnings on specific toxic threats, empowering communities and officials to take targeted actions while advancing research on wildfire smoke toxicity. The bold target is for the model to be deployed in every weather application installed on web-enabled devices (e.g., cell phones) throughout the United States.