Grad Students Complete Field Validation for Analysis of Agricultural Burning

   Doctoral candidate Jessica McCarty and M.A. student Mark Sherwood recently completed field work in Washington and Idaho (August 21 - 25, 2006). During this field campaign, Jessica and Mark investigated burned spring wheat and bluegrass fields, with the assistance of Dr. Steve Van Vleet of the Washington State University Ag Extension Program. This field work included using 1 km MODIS Active Fire Detections to identify illegally burned wheat fields in eastern Washington (Picture 1). GPS locations of crop types and burned area were collected as well (Picture 2). Jessica and Mark also completed interviews with state air quality officials about the quantity of burn permits to be issued to wheat farmers in Washington through the end of the fall harvest.

   Crop residue, plant stubble that is left after harvest, is commonly burned by American farmers. Burning the stubble allows farmers to quickly plant their next crop and is a good tool for eliminating insects and disease from their fields, which can lead to less herbicide and pesticide use. Almost every major agricultural region in the contiguous U.S. experiences burning: the rice and sugarcane fields of the Southeast, the wheat and corn belts of the Midwest, the Central Valley of California, and the wheat regions of the Interior Pacific Northwest. Agricultural burning impacts both local and regional air quality and has been linked to increased asthma and pulmonary infections. Due to its negative impact on air quality, states have begun to both monitor and regulate agricultural burning, including states like Washington and Florida.

   Earlier in the summer, Jessica also completed field work in Arkansas - a state with no restrictions on agricultural burning. While completing this campaign, over 100 GPS locations of burned area and crop types were taken (Pictures 3 and 4). Additionally, with the help of extension agents and local crop technicians, fuel load for winter wheat stubble after harvest was quantified per acre for the Mississippi Delta Region.

   This field work is directly related to Jessica's dissertation research. The title of her dissertation is "Seasonal and Interannual Variability of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Emissions Affecting Air Quality From Crop Residue Burning in the Contiguous United States." This research aims to produce both spatially and temporally explicit emission estimates from crop residue burning for the lower 48 states. This project will quantify ambient air quality emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, future crop burning emissions will be modeled to provide insight on the amount of air quality and greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural burning. Ms. McCarty has received funding from the NASA Earth System Science Fellowship and the USDA CSREES Air Quality Program, a project being undertaken with Drs. Stefania Korontzi and Chris Justice. Her research is being facilitated by data provided by the USDA NASS, specifically the Cropland Data Later, a high spatial resolution product which accurately classifies crop types. Jessica is working closely with Mr. Rick Mueller, Section Head of the Spatial Analysis Research Division of USDA NASS, to add more states into production, such as Louisiana and Washington. This collaboration has lead to the development of an internship program between USDA NASS and the Department of Geography at the University of Maryland.

Captions for pictures:

Picture 1. Jessica McCarty with Dr. Steve Van Vleet of the WSU Ag Extension examining the evidence of an illegally burned field in eastern Washington (August 2006). This fire was detected by the MODIS sensor and was plowed and seeded quickly to hide the evidence. (Photo by Mark Sherwood, University of Maryland)

Picture 2.  Mark Sherwood is taking the GPS location of a burned area that started as an agricultural fire and spread to surrounding natural areas near Colfax, Washington (August 20060. (Photo taken by Jessica McCarty, University of Maryland)

Picture 3.  Winter wheat field being burned in Lonoke County, Arkansas (June 2006). Note the rice fields in the foreground, which will be burned in the fall. (Photo by Eric McCarty, Morehead State University)

Picture 4. Smoke for a burning wheat field is seen from a busy stretch of I-40 between Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock Arkansas on June 11, 2006. Wheat stubble left on the ground after harvesting is commonly burned to quickly clear away the fields for next crop rotation. (Photo by Jessica McCarty, University of Maryland)