Measuring emissions from the August 2009 Upper Gleason controlled burn to better understand potential inhalation health effects of wildfires in the Great Basin.

The increase of fires in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert have raised concerns about risk to fire fighters should an area contaminated with radionuclides from past nuclear testing in Nevada were to be burn over. DRI monitored emissions during the August 2009 Upper Gleason Controlled Burn near Ely, Nevada to assess the amount of soil material suspended during a fire. The fire burned an area similar to where some contaminated soil sites exist.

DRI fire research is also providing insight on the composition of aerosol emissions from fires. For example, compared to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the composition of the "black carbon" deposits on snow in the Rocky Mountain in Colorado shows a higher percentage of particles associated with soil material relative to burned biomass. Aerosol deposits on snow is believed to be a contributing factor to more rapid melting of snowpacks in the spring. DRI's analysis of the chemistry of particulates suspended off of areas burned in the intermountain west may help to determine to what degree the increase in fires and suspension and long distance transport of soil may could be a contributing factor. 

Before, during, and after the August 2009 Upper Gleason controlled burn.