Air quality and health impacts of vegetation and peat fires in Equatorial Asia during 2004-2015
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2020
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) emissions from vegetation and peat fires in Equatorial Asia cause poor regional air quality. Burning is greatest during drought years, resulting in strong inter-annual variability in emissions. We make the first consistent estimate of the emissions, air quality and public health impacts of Equatorial Asian fires during 2004-2015. The largest dry season (August-October) emissions occurred in 2015, with PM emissions estimated as 9.4 Tg, more than triple the average dry season emission (2.7 Tg). Fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan caused 94% of PM emissions from fires in Equatorial Asia. Peat combustion in Indonesian peatlands contributed 45% of PM emissions, with a greater contribution of 68% in 2015. We used the WRF-chem model to simulate dry season PM for the 6 biggest fire years during this period (2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015). The model reproduces PM concentrations from a measurement network across Malaysia and Indonesia, suggesting our PM emissions are realistic. We estimate long-term exposure to PM resulted in 44 040 excess deaths in 2015, with more than 15 000 excess deaths annually in 2004, 2006, and 2009. Exposure to PM from dry season fires resulted in an estimated 131 700 excess deaths during 2004-2015. Our work highlights that Indonesian vegetation and peat fires frequently cause adverse impacts to public health across the region.
Keywords
fire, air quality, equatorial asia, peat, particulate matter
Divisions
CHEMISTRY
Funders
Directorate of Research and Community Service General Director of Strengthening Research and Development Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Grant No. 4097/IT3.1.1/PN/2019),NERC SPHERES (Grant No. NE/L002574/1),United Bank of Carbon (Grant No. 332397925),Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, UK Government
Publication Title
Environmental Research Letters
Volume
15
Issue
9
Publisher
IOP Publishing Ltd
Publisher Location
TEMPLE CIRCUS, TEMPLE WAY, BRISTOL BS1 6BE, ENGLAND