SMART: A Guided Tour - Part 6

Three small symbols on this diagram denote possible locations for monitoring teams with respect to an in situ burn in a populated area.

Locations for Monitoring Teams

Particulate monitoring for in situ burning is done when there is concern that the smoke plume may impact a sensitive location, such as a town. In general, monitoring is done upwind of this location to minimize interferences from cars, industry, and homes. If several teams are available, one team deploys upwind of the sensitive location, a second one downwind of it, and a third may be deployed at the discretion of the Monitoring Group Supervisor.

Here, a monitoring exercise is conducted at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The team arrived on location by helicopter.

Background Data

Once the teams have arrived on location, they collect background data before the burn starts, then continue to collect data throughout the duration of the burn, and for 15-30 minutes after the smoke has cleared.

The teams report particulate concentration trends to the Group Supervisor, who forwards the information to the Scientific Support Coordinator (SSC) at the Command Post. The SSC then reviews the data and forwards it, with recommendations, to the Unified Command (UC).

Here, a team member records data during an exercise in Mobile, Alabama in September 1998.

After the Burn Begins

After the burn begins, data is recorded in two ways: Automatically, in the data logger of the instrument, and manually by the monitor, who records the data at fixed intervals on a monitoring form. The monitor also records relevant information, such as weather conditions, plume behavior, and interference from other sources that may affect instrument readings. The manually-recorded data, coupled with the observations, provide immediate feedback to the Unified Command. The data logged by the instrument may be used later for different purposes.