Publication Abstracts

Randazzo et al. 2026, accepted

Randazzo, G.S., S.A. Hill, J.F. Booth, and R.D. Field, 2026: A wall of smoke: Understanding the drivers of the June 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke event for New York City. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., accepted.

The 2023 Canadian wildfire season was notable for its extent and the dense smoke it produced. Motivated by the resulting air quality impacts in the New York City region, we use in-situ observations, satellite retrievals, reanalysis data, and trajectory analysis to explore how the smoke aerosol emitted from the Quebec fires came to influence PM2.5 concentrations ∼1000 km downstream in New York City. Using injection height data from the Regional Advanced Baseline Imager + VIIRS Emissions dataset, we relate the tropospheric injection heights of the fires with the broader synoptic context and surface PM2.5 concentrations. Using data from the NYS Mesonet Profiler Network, radiosondes, and ERA5 reanalysis, we document the connection between an anomalous quasi-stationary low pressure system over the northeast and the anomalously high surface PM2.5 values in New York City. We conclude that a strong, stationary extratropical cyclone east of the fires organized the smoke plume and advected smoke into New York City. This smoke remained at high concentrations throughout the boundary layer and lower troposphere. Additionally, the diurnal cycle of the source fires matches the diurnal cycle of PM2.5 concentrations in New York City downstream. Finally, the anomalous nature of the stationary extratropical cyclone contributed to the uniqueness of this event.

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BibTeX Citation

@unpublished{ra08110o,
  author={Randazzo, G. S. and Hill, S. A. and Booth, J. F. and Field, R. D.},
  title={A wall of smoke: Understanding the drivers of the June 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke event for New York City},
  year={2026},
  journal={Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - INPR
ID  - ra08110o
AU  - Randazzo, G. S.
AU  - Hill, S. A.
AU  - Booth, J. F.
AU  - Field, R. D.
PY  - 2026
TI  - A wall of smoke: Understanding the drivers of the June 2023 Canadian wildfire smoke event for New York City
JA  - J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.
JO  - Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
ER  -

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