Severe Smoke Events Observed Using the MPLCAN Micro-Pulse Lidar Network

Increased forest fire activity poses a risk to public health and has a long-term complex role in climate change. With the number and severity of such events increasing, it is vital to establish a baseline for monitoring and study. The Canadian Micro-Pulse Lidar Network (MPLCAN) is a growing micro-pulse lidar (MPL) network. These ground-based lidar profile the structure of the atmosphere in both height and time. The depolarization channels additionally help discriminate cloud phase and assist in discriminating aerosols from clouds. We can measure layers of smoke particles from the surface to above 10 km altitude at high spatial-temporal resolution (e.g. < 100 m and ~1min). Smoke particles can travel great distances and affect both ozone concentration and the atmosphere’s radiative balance. Currently, MPLs are deployed and operating in London, ON, Toronto, ON; Sherbrooke, QC, Sandy Cove (near Halifax)in the High Arctic (Eureka, NU), and at a recently deployed site, Stony Plain (AB). We also installed a new instrument at Cambridge Bay (NU), which will be operational in the near future. MPLNET processes the measurements from MPLCAN in near real-time and makes the measurements publicly available each hour. These vertical profile measurements are both supported and complemented by AEROCAN/AERONET (columnar) measurements. We encourage interested parties to use these measurements for studying transport and will present examples of the available measurements with cases and trends over our network sites which highlight how the network can help in studies of air quality, and in particular wildfires.