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Smoke Survey 2024
Survey Goals
Maine’s Air Quality Meteorologists need your help. We inform the public when poor air quality is expected so that people can take precautions to protect their health. Therefore, we want to learn more about how wildfire smoke behaves after it has been transported into Maine.
In 2023, there were reports of smoke lingering in low lying areas such as lakes, ponds and valleys. Unfortunately, we didn’t learn of the issue until autumn, so there was little time to investigate. We want to learn how frequently this may happen.
How can I help?
While we don’t yet know how often wildfire smoke may be transported to Maine this summer, we have a brief online survey ready for your input if you observe it.
You may fill out the Smoke Survey as many times as you see smoke this summer. The Smoke Survey will be open through autumn.
We do not want to confuse fog with smoke. We are interested only in smoke that lingers in low lying areas AFTER any morning fog has lifted.
The Smoke Survey will ask:
- Your email address (Your email will not be shared with anyone else.);
- Details about where and when you noticed smoke, like the date and time, lake or pond name, town, road or other descriptive information;
- If you have noticed smoke in this area in the previous two weeks;
- If the smoke caused an obvious visibility impairment; and
- Provide an opportunity to include additional details.