CALIOP-Based Biomass Burning Smoke Plume Height

Carbon and aerosols are cycled between terrestrial and atmosphere environments during fire events, and these emissions have strong feedbacks to near-field weather, air quality, and longer-term climate systems. Fire severity and burned area are under the control of weather and climate, and fire emissions have the potential to alter numerous land and atmospheric processes that, in turn, feedback to and interact with climate systems (e.g., changes in patterns of precipitation, black/brown carbon deposition on ice/snow, alteration in landscape and atmospheric/cloud albedo). If plume injection height is incorrectly estimated in models, then the simulated transport and deposition of those emissions will also be incorrect.

The heights to which smoke is injected and detrained governs short- or long-range transport, which influences surface pollution, cloud interaction (altered albedo), and modifies patterns of precipitation (cloud condensation nuclei). We are working with the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) science team and other stakeholder agencies, primarily the Environmental Protection Agency and regional partners, to generate a biomass burning (BB) plume injection height database using multiple platforms, sensors and models (CALIOP, MODIS, NOAA HMS, Langley Trajectory Model). These data have the potential to provide enhanced smoke plume injection height parameterization in regional, national and international climate and air quality models.

Statistics that link fire and weather to plume rise are crucial for verifying and enhancing plume rise parameterization in local-, regional- and global-scale models used for air quality, chemical transport and climate. Specifically, we will present: (1) a methodology that links BB injection height and CALIOP air parcels to specific fires; (2) the daily evolution of smoke plumes for specific fires; (3) compare CALIOP-derived smoke plume injection to CMAQ modeled smoke plume injection; and (4) provide statistics from numerous fires burning in multiple ecosystems (e.g., Santa Rosa, Rim, Tripod, Sabine CAN, Charleston, Juniper, Columbia Complex, Pine Ridge, Millard, Black Pulaski, agricultural fires). These results have the potential to provide value to national and international modeling communities (climate and air quality) and to public land, fire, and air quality management and regulations communities.

Plain language

We all know the expression "What goes up, must come down!" This is also true for smoke from fires. Smoke from fire contains very fine particles that can damage your lungs and actually results in increased hospital visits for respiratory illnesses, heart attacks and even death. Also, smoke can be deposited on very reflective snow and ice, forcing it to melt faster. Because air travels faster the higher it is in the atmosphere, big fires tend to inject higher and travel farther. Small fires, like from agricultural burning, tend to hover near the ground where people live and breathe. So, if we don’t get the height correct, we don’t know where the smoke will come down. We know we don’t accurately model smoke injection height correctly right now, but satellites will help us improve our estimates and our models. Hopefully, this will result in a better informed, healthier public. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it – for now! Cheers, Amber

KEY WORDS: remote sensing, aerosols, climate, fire feedbacks, fire emissions