Well-established wildfire smoke models such as HRRR-Smoke and BlueSky predict smoke concentrations one to three days in advance. They present these forecasts as gridded maps of modeled PM₂.₅ concentrations, hour by hour. This focus on concentration suits state air-quality agencies concerned with maximum human-health impacts. It is less useful to someone who needs to know where the plume will be over the next few hours as it meanders — whether it will cross a particular highway this afternoon, or where to place an air quality monitor tonight to capture the point of greatest impact.
Air Sciences had a significant presence at the 2024 PNWIS Annual Conference, held November 12–15 in Eugene, Oregon. The conference is the signature event of the Pacific Northwest International Section of the Air & Waste Management Association. This year, Air Sciences was proud to be a platinum conference sponsor.
Thinking about deserts usually conjures up images of sand and wind—not water. However, in the high desert region in western Nevada, you will find Pyramid Lake. One of the largest natural lakes in the state, this body of water exists entirely within the boundaries of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s reservation, which is about 35 miles northeast of Reno.
Sawmills in the Western United States have an intriguing history. As mostly European-descendant settlements of the 19th century American West forged deeper into resource extraction of wood to build homes and towns, sawmills were developed to process immense logs into usable lumber. Naturally, a power source was needed to propel the industry beyond the work of hand-sawyers. Technology used to power the mills included water turbines and steam engines, while boilers provided steam for a sawmill’s kilns.