Communicating Air Quality during Wildfires: Case Study and Useful Resources

For the past 10 years the Environmental Protection Agency has communicated the Air Quality Index (AQI) through its AIRNow program. Over this period, broadcast meteorologists have been an invaluable partner in disseminating air quality conditions and forecasts to their viewers. This role of communicating critical public health and environmental information in addition to weather forecasts puts broadcast meteorologists into the position of what the AMS has termed the “Station Scientist.” To aid broacast meteorologists in this emerging role, the EPA has developed several new and useful tools to communicate air quality conditions. As an example, we will provide a case study of the October 2007 wildfires in Southern California and illustrate how to use these tools to give viewers critical air quality information. The talk will outline the health protection messages to use during smoky conditions so that viewers are appropriately informed and take necessary percautions. In addition, we will discuss air quality resources and tools available to broadcasters, including AIRNow.gov and its associated products, the NOAA air quality model, EPA's AQI toolkit, and SmogCity2.