Sim Larkin
Climate Scientist
Threat Characterization and Management
400 N 34th St., Suite 201
Seattle, WA 98103-8600
United States
Seattle, WA 98103-8600
United States
Phone
206-732-7849
Current Research
- Smoke impacts from wildland fire
- Fire emissions from wildland fire
- Climate change and fire
- Climate change and smoke
- Statistical analysis of climate patterns
Research Interest
- How to minimize uncertainties and improve accuracy by combining disparate information sources
- How to analyze variability including extreme events in non-static systems
- How to disseminate scientific and probabilistic information to managers such that is is usable in decision support
- How to display complex information for ease of use and applicability to management problems
Education
- University of Washington, Ph.D., Climate Diagnositcs, 2000
- Unversity of California, Berkeley, B.A., Physics, 1991
Awards & Recognition
-
PNW Science Delivery Award, 2011
For leading the effort to supply the best smoke information and smoke outlooks to fire and regional managers during the historic New Mexico / Arizona wildfires.
-
National Fire Plan Excellence in Research Award, 2005
Awarded to the BlueSky Smoke Modeling Consortium.
Other Publications
- Chiodi, Andrew M.; Potter, Brian E.; Larkin, Narasimhan K.. 2021. Multi‐decadal change in Western US nighttime vapor pressure deficit
- O’Neill, Susan M.; Diao, Minghui ; Raffuse, Sean ; Al-Hamdan, Mohammad ; Barik, Muhammad ; Jia, Yiqin ; Reid, Steve ; Zou, Yufei ; Tong, Daniel ; West, J. Jason; Wilkins, Joseph ; Marsha, Amy ; Freedman, Frank ; Vargo, Jason ; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Alvarado, Ernesto ; Loesche, Patti. 2021. A multi-analysis approach for estimating regional health impacts from the 2017 Northern California wildfires
- Jaffe, Daniel A.; O’Neill, Susan M.; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Holder, Amara L.; Peterson, David L.; Halofsky, Jessica E.; Rappold, Ana G.. 2020. Wildfire and prescribed burning impacts on air quality in the United States
- Prichard, Susan ; Larkin, Sim N.; Ottmar, Roger ; French, Nancy H.F.; Baker, Kirk ; Brown, Tim ; Clements, Craig ; Dickinson, Matt ; Hudak, Andrew ; Kochanski, Adam ; Linn, Rod ; Liu, Yongqiang ; Potter, Brian ; Mell, William ; Tanzer, Danielle ; Urbanski, Shawn ; Watts, Adam. 2019. The fire and smoke model evaluation experiment—a plan for integrated, large fire–atmosphere field campaigns
- Diao, Minghui ; Holloway, Tracey ; Choi, Seohyun ; O’Neill, Susan M.; Al-Hamdan, Mohammad Z.; Van Donkelaar, Aaron ; Martin, Randall V; Jin, Xiaomeng ; Fiore, Arlene M.; Henze, Daven K.; Lacey, Forrest ; Kinney, Patrick L.; Freedman, Frank ; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Zou, Yufei ; Kelly, James T.; Vaidyanathan, Ambarish. 2019. Methods, availability, and applications of PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure estimates derived from ground measurements, satellite, and atmospheric models
- Zou, Yufei ; O’Neill, Susan M.; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Alvarado, Ernesto C.; Solomon, Robert ; Mass, Clifford ; Liu, Yang ; Odman, M. Talat; Shen, Huizhong. 2019. Machine learning-based integration of high-resolution wildfire smoke simulations and observations for regional health impact assessment
- Chiodi, A.M.; Larkin, N.S. ; Varner, Julian (Morgan), III.. 2018. An analysis of Southeastern US prescribed burn weather windows: seasonal variability and El Niño associations
- O'Neill, Susan; Urbanski, Shawn; Goodrick, Scott; Larkin, Sim. 2017. Smoke plumes: Emissions and effects
- White, Rachel; Hessburg, Paul; Larkin, Sim; Varner, Morgan. 2017. Smoke in a new era of fire
- Navarro, Kathleen M.; Cisneros, Ricardo ; O’Neill, Susan M.; Schweizer, Don ; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Balmes, John R.. 2016. Air-quality impacts and intake fraction of PM<sub>2.5 </sub>during the 2013 Rim Megafire
- Barbero, R.; Abatzoglou, J. T.; Larkin, Sim; Kolden, C. A.; Stocks, B.. 2015. Climate change presents increased potential for very large fires in the contiguous United States
- Hao, Wei Min; Larkin, Narasimhan K.. 2014. Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: wildland fire detection and burned area in the United States
- Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Raffuse, Sean M.; Strand, Tara M.. 2014. Wildland fire emissions, carbon, and climate: U.S. emissions inventories
- Stavros, E. Natasha ; McKenzie, Donald; Larkin, Narasimhan. 2014. The climate-wildfire-air quality system: interactions and feedbacks across spatial and temporal scales
- Raffuse, Sean M.; Craig, Kenneth J.; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Strand, Tara T.; Sullivan, Dana Coe; Wheeler, Neil J.M.; Solomon, Robert. 2012. An evaluation of modeled plume injection height with satellite-derived observed plume height
- Goodrick, Scott L.; Achtemeier, Gary L.; Larkin, Narasimhan K.; Liu, Yongqiang; Strand, Tara M. (. 2012. Modelling smoke transport from wildland fires: a review
- Larkin, Sim; Brown, Tim; Lahm, Pete; Zimmerman, Tom. 2010. Wildland fire decision support system air quality tools
- Chen, J. ; Avise, J. ; Lamb, B. ; Salathé, E. ; Mass, C. ; Guenther, A. ; Wiedinmyer, C. ; Lamarque, J.-F ; O'Neill, Susan ; McKenzie, D. ; Larkin, N.. 2009. The effects of global changes upon regional ozone pollution in the United States
Research Highlights
The Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment: Improving Fire and Smoke Forecasting, Protecting Public Health
Year: 2019
With researchers and wildland fire crews in position, weather and smoke monitoring equipment activated, and camera carrying drones launched, air crew ignited what would become a prescribed stand-replacement fire in the Fishlake National Forest, Utah. The event on June 20, 2019, was the latest in a s...
New Tool Supports Informed Decision-Making on the Combined Effects of Wildfire Smoke and COVID-19
Year: 2020
Degraded air quality due to smoke from wildland fires may exacerbate the respiratory effects of COVID-19, potentially increasing infection rates and worsening infection outcomes. To mitigate the health impacts from the confluence of smoke and COVID-19, researchers from the Pacific Northwest Research...
The AirNow.gov Map Makes Air Quality Data Readily Available to the Public for the First Time
Year: 2020
Wildfire smoke is the predominant cause of major air quality events in the United States that affect millions of Americans each year, causing significant negative health effects. To enhance the current air quality monitoring system across the country, researchers from the USDA Forest Service and th...
Delivery of Smoke Science to Incident Operations
Year: 2014
Forest Service scientists, working with the Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management to support the Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program, responded to fires throughout 2014, providing access to smoke predictions and smoke science tools that were used to help the region and incidents resp...
Mitigating Arctic Black Carbon Deposition
Year: 2012
Scientists identify meteorological conditions when black carbon does not travel to the Arctic
New Techniques Improve National Emissions Inventory for Wildland Fire
Year: 2012
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is using new techniques to create the next national emissions inventory for wildland fire
A Continued Success: The U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program
Year: 2019
This program founded by the USDA Forest Service delivers information to people in areas affected by wildland fire smoke. In 2018 alone, more than 45 million people received smoke outlooks from the Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program Air Resource Advisor. The success of this relatively new and...
Scientists Acquire Better Knowledge of Smoke Transport During Prescribed Burning in the Wildland-urban Interface of Bend, Oregon
Year: 2015
Smoke from prescribed fires in the Deschutes National Forest has negatively affected the city of Bend, Oregon, nine times over the past two years. These smoke events threaten the ability of land managers to use prescribed burning as a tool to mitigate hazardous fuels in the wildland urban interface...