Start Date
16-12-2020 9:40 AM
Description
The 2020 wildfire season has been historically bad in the state of California, sending plumes of smoke into the air and around the country. As we all are too familiar with by now, 2020 has also been marred by the Covid-19 pandemic spreading across the globe. Looking at spatial analysis maps of the extent of wildfire smoke in California compared to Covid-19 cases in California, there seems to be a correlation between the two. Covid- 19 and wildfire smoke also affect the human body similarly, have similar symptoms, and pose the most significant risk to similar groups. There is also literature to support the idea that cigarette smoke can aid in the transmission of Covid-19 particles; there is an overlap in the size makeup of wildfire smoke and cigarette smoke. All of these factors beg the question: does the presence of wildfire smoke exacerbate the concentration, spread, and transmission of Covid-19 in an area? This is the question this study’s research will aim to answer. Utilizing a spatial analysis software called ArcGIS Pro, I will compare the concentration of Covid-19 in an area to several other factors to determine to what extent wildfire smoke impacts the transmission of Covid-19.
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GIS Analysis of Covid-19 Cases and Wildfire Smoke in California
The 2020 wildfire season has been historically bad in the state of California, sending plumes of smoke into the air and around the country. As we all are too familiar with by now, 2020 has also been marred by the Covid-19 pandemic spreading across the globe. Looking at spatial analysis maps of the extent of wildfire smoke in California compared to Covid-19 cases in California, there seems to be a correlation between the two. Covid- 19 and wildfire smoke also affect the human body similarly, have similar symptoms, and pose the most significant risk to similar groups. There is also literature to support the idea that cigarette smoke can aid in the transmission of Covid-19 particles; there is an overlap in the size makeup of wildfire smoke and cigarette smoke. All of these factors beg the question: does the presence of wildfire smoke exacerbate the concentration, spread, and transmission of Covid-19 in an area? This is the question this study’s research will aim to answer. Utilizing a spatial analysis software called ArcGIS Pro, I will compare the concentration of Covid-19 in an area to several other factors to determine to what extent wildfire smoke impacts the transmission of Covid-19.
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Mentor: Tyler Harlan