Impact of air quality in Mexico City due to particles smaller than ten microns (PM10) by wildland fire in “Cumbres del Ajusco Park” for the year 2013

Abstract:

A forest fire is a natural process of combustion in a specific geographical area, its occurrence depends on meteorological variables, topography and vegetation type, the wildland fires are potential sources of large amounts of pollutants. The main air pollutants are in a wildland fires particles (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) Carbon Monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC's) and a negligible amount of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) (Chow 1995), Was performed a study of the environmental impact on air quality in Mexico city for a wildland fire. The fire was presented in Cumbres del Ajusco Park on April 14 for the year 2013, with a duration of 26 hours and consuming an extension 150 ha of pasture, WRF-Chem and WRF-fire model were used to conduct the study, two modeling scenarios were made, one including emissions from wildfire and other without emission-fire, comparison is made between the two modeling scenarios in order to calculate on air quality in Mexico cityPM₁₀ concentrations have a larger impact on the air quality of Mexico city, when fire emission were included, a plume of PM₁₀ coming from fire increase ambient concentration up to 350ug/m³ and it was obtained by modeling similar to the concentration measured by a monitoring station (320ug/m³).The current limit is 120ug/m³ 24 hours average. (Mexican standard NOM-025-SSA1-1993)This system for setting emissions from fire is working properly whoever further development is required.