In January, historic wildfires in the Los Angeles area attracted worldwide notice. But where there’s fire, there’s smoke—and a key, lasting impact of the fires’ dangers was the impact of wildfire smoke, which can lead to long-term respiratory problems and even death.

UTA’s Dr. Yunyao Li

That danger can hit close to home here in North Texas, too. In 2025, wildfires across the Lone Star State have burned over 1 million acres as of May 16, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. 

Now a University of Texas at Arlington researcher is working to alleviate some of the dangers by developing a system that gives communities early warning when wildfire smoke may make the air unsafe to breathe.

Dr. Yunyao Li, a UTA assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences and co-principal investigator on the project, received a grant from the NASA Science Mission Directorate Earth Science Division to help find a solution.

“Our project aims to enhance wildfire air quality forecasting capabilities and develop tools that advance decision-making processes related to wildfire air quality and health management,” Li said in a statement. 

A major source of hazardous air pollution

Wildfires are a major source of hazardous air pollution, UTA noted, with research showing that the health risks aren’t confined to areas near the fire. Smoke can drift hundreds of miles, affecting communities far from any glimpses of flame and panic. In June 2023, wildfires in Quebec caused “severe air pollution” as far away as New York City and Washington, D.C., UTA noted.

Air quality forecasting can lessen the harm caused by wildfire smoke, the university noted, but it unpredictable emission rates, shifting smoke patterns, and changing weather conditions remain a challenge.

“Wildfires are becoming more and more of a threat in many parts of the U.S. and abroad, and accurate air quality forecasting is critical to protecting the health of people who might feel the effects of these fires far from their origin,” Arne Winguth, professor and chair of UTA’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said in a statement. “This study will help provide valuable tools to enhance these forecasting capabilities.”

Partners on the project

UTA’s Li is working on the project with co-investigators from New York University, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, with additional collaborators from NASA, NOAA, the EPA and the U.S. Forest Service.

“This system will leverage Earth observations to develop a sophisticated model-weighting technique, thereby enhancing current air quality forecast capabilities,” Li said.

The team aims to develop a fire smoke visualization tool and patient-centric messaging system to improve real-time communication of air quality risks. A key goal for the tool: contributing forecasts to the EPA’s AirNow program, which could improve the agency’s ability to give the public accurate and timely information about wildfire smoke dangers.

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