Hokkaido University Research Profiles

Japanese
Environment

Uncovering the relationships among air pollution (aerosols, PM2.5), wildfires, snow and ice, and climate change in the Arctic and cryosphere for a sustainable society in the future!

Teppei J. Yasunari Specially Appointed Associate Professor
Ph.D. in the field of Earth System Science

An atmospheric scientist working in the Arctic and cryosphere, tackling wildfires, air quality, snow and ice, and climate change

I am conducting a wide range of research on wildfires and their air quality (aerosols and PM2.5), including analysis and prediction of the factors that cause them and impact assessment (climate, health, economy, etc.), using various research methods from observation to data analysis and modeling.

Content of research

In recent years, we have been hearing more and more news about wildfires. Large-scale wildfires can transport air pollution (PM2.5) not only to the area where they occur but also to areas downwind, potentially affecting the people who live there. For this reason, it is necessary to identify the causes of wildfires and the atmospheric aerosols (air pollution) they produce and assess the diverse effects (such as climate, health, social and economic) that follow. In addition, it is extremely important to predict these effects based on the knowledge gained from the perspective of taking measures for people living in the downwind area from where the fires occur. To achieve the above objectives, we have developed a portable PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions, conducting multi-location observations of air quality such as PM2.5, analyzing large-scale global data (satellite, model, re-analysis data, etc.), and conducting research using various methods such as machine learning prediction (we are also conducting joint research with NASA and interdisciplinary research).

  • Figure 1b from Yasunari et al. (2018, Sci. Rep.). Daily mean PM2.5 concentration on July 25, 2014, calculated using NASA's MERRA-2 reanalysis data. The white circle indicates the location of Sapporo City.

  • A commercial version of the PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions, updated from the prototype in Yasunari et al. (2022, J. Environ. Manage.). Anyone can purchase it from Tanaka Co., Ltd. (http://kktanaka.co.jp/products; the iron box and the low-cost PM2.5 sensor must be obtained separately)

  • A climate (atmospheric circulation) pattern that can likely cause co-occurrences of European heatwaves and wildfires in Siberia and subarctic North America (Alaska and Canada), as discovered in Yasunari et al. (2021, Environ. Res. Lett.): the pattern was named the circum-Arctic wave (CAW) pattern because it is a pattern in which anticyclonic circulation is arranged to surround the Arctic. The figure is from Figure 9 of the paper (created by the current “Science Manga Studio Co., Ltd.”: https://www.sciencemanga.jp/).

  • In Yasunari et al. (2024, Atmos. Sci. Lett.), the authors used the commercial PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions and, for the first time, performed the local ambient air quality observation (i.e., PM2.5 measurement) in Qaanaaq, northwest Greenland, in the summer of 2022. They also captured the worsened air quality during the local open waste burning (the figure is the Graphic Abstract of the paper).

Potential for social implementation

  • 1. Consulting and corporate services, etc., based on risk analysis and assessment of wildfire and air pollution
  • 2. Regional health impact assessment and air quality forecasting using observed PM2.5 data by our PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions
  • 3. Services for analyzing the causes and effects of wildfires and air pollution using global data (satellite, model, reanalysis data, etc.)

Appealing points to industry and local governments

Using the low-cost Panasonic sensor, we have developed a PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions (see the photo above). This measurement system can measure PM2.5 year-round, even in extremely cold regions such as the Arctic and Antarctica (commercial version available; the sensor must be obtained separately). We also perform a wide range of analyses related to air pollution, atmospheric environment, and meteorology in regions and specific domains using global data (satellite and modeled data, etc.).

Related information

Researcher information: researchmapGoogle Scholar (papers and number of citations, etc.), affiliated organization website (Arctic Research Center), KAKENHI (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research)

Articles on the research contents for the general public: Hokkaido University's PR magazine “Literappori” (PDF versionWeb version)

Media related to explanations of research contents: "Study: Siberian Wildfires Could Kill 20,000 a Year in Japan; Team Analyzed Past Blazes to Model Effects of Air Pollution" by The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun (June 16, 2024); NHK BS Special “Digital Eye (Disappearing Forest)” (Japanese version: broadcast on April 11, 2024; English version: distributed on March 30, 2024); "Atmospheric link between northern wildfires and heatwaves" by Asia Research News 2022 Magazine (pp. 48)

Information on the commercial version of the PM2.5 measurement system for cold regions: The prototype was developed by Yasunari et al. (2022, J. Environ. Manage.), and the commercial version was updated from the prototype: available at Tanaka Co., Ltd. (automatically temperature-controlled insulation box; the iron box and low-cost PM2.5 sensor must be obtained separately); We installed the PM2.5 measurement systems in Fairbanks (Alaska, USA; the prototype used in the paper above), SapporoEbetsu, and Hakodate (Hokkaido), Hirosaki (Aomori), and Nagaoka (Niigata), Japan, and we are implementing continuous PM2.5 observations.

 

Related papers on wildfires and the PM2.5 measurement system (also: references for the figures above):

  1. Yasunari, T. J., D. Narita, T. Takemura, S. Wakabayashi, and A. Takeshima (2024), Comprehensive impact of changing Siberian wildfire severities on air quality, climate, and economy: MIROC5 global climate model’s sensitivity assessments, Earth's Futur., 12, e2023EF004129. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF004129 (Press release available in Japanese and English)
  2. Yasunari, T. J., T. Kajikawa, Y. Matsumi, and K.-M. Kim (2024), Increased atmospheric PM2.5 event due to open waste burning in Qaanaaq, Greenland, summer of 2022, Atmos. Sci. Lett., e1231. https://doi.org/10.1002/asl.1231 (Press release available in Japanese and English)
  3. Yasunari, T. J., S. Wakabayashi, Y. Matsumi, and S. Matoba (2022), Developing an insulation box with automatic temperature control for PM2.5 measurements in cold regions, J. Environ. Manage., 311, 114784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114784 (Press release available only in Japanese)
  4. Yasunari, T. J., H. Nakamura, K.-M. Kim, N. Choi, M.-I. Lee, Y. Tachibana, and A. M. da Silva (2021), Relationship between circum-Arctic atmospheric wave patterns and large-scale wildfires in boreal summer, Environ. Res. Lett., 16, 064009. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abf7ef (Press release available in Japanese and English)
  5. Yasunari, T. J., K.-M. Kim, A. M. da Silva, M. Hayasaki, M. Akiyama, and N. Murao (2018), Extreme air pollution events in Hokkaido, Japan, traced back to early snowmelt and large-scale wildfires over East Eurasia: Case studies, Sci. Rep., 8, 6413. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24335-w (Press release available only in Japanese)
2024/10/6Released