The "YouthTok" series features academic research by Tsinghua University students, presenting their research progress using simple and easy-to-understand language to showcase the thoughts of young scholars.
In this episode, Huang Lyuyin, a PhD candidate from Tsinghua University's School of Environment, explores the hidden impacts of wildland fires on air quality and climate.
Huang Lyuyin explained that wildland fires release not only visible smoke and burned landscapes but also complex mixtures of organic pollutants, including intermediate-volatility and semi-volatile organic compounds (IVOCs and SVOCs). These pollutants can contribute to the formation of fine particles, posing risks to human health and influencing atmospheric changes.
As a member of a research team investigating wildland fire emissions, Huang introduced the team's work on developing a new global wildland fire organic emission inventory. By combining global burned-area data with emission information from different vegetation types, including forests, grasslands, and peatlands, the team developed a more comprehensive picture of the quantity, distribution, and composition of organic pollutants released by wildland fires. The study found that wildland fires emitted about 143 million tons of organic compounds annually on average from 1997 to 2023, around 21 percent higher than previous estimates.
A new global wildland fire organic emission inventory
Looking ahead, Huang emphasized the importance of accurately understanding wildland fire emissions as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of fires in many regions. She noted that more comprehensive emission estimates can provide a stronger scientific basis for air-quality modeling, health-risk assessments, and climate-related policy analysis, helping researchers better understand pollution formation and spread while supporting more targeted air pollution control strategies.
YouthTok | Huang Lyuyin: Fires could emit more air pollution than previously estimated
Editors: Gillian Tang, Yue Qinrong, Zhang Nannan
Designer: Yue Qinrong
Reviewers: Chen Ken, Lin Yuan, Zhang Shaojun
