Remote Sensing for the Characterization of Fire Processes from the NASA ER-2 Aircraft

Biomass burning (BB) is a significant air pollution source, and BB emissions are composed of a complex mixture of gases and particles that may directly and indirectly affect both
air quality and climate. There is a critical need to investigate the potential contribution of new-generation airborne remote sensing techniques for high-resolution, large-scale emissions
and smoke plume development characterization in order to provide observational constraints on the dispersion of BB pollutants from landscape fires. Remote sensing from NASA’s
ER-2 high-altitude research aircraft can provide large-scale, high-resolution observations of fire temperature, plume rise, and characteristics of emitted gaseous and particulate pollutants.
Using data from recent field campaigns including SEAC4RS and IMPACT-PM, we demonstrate how hyperspectral, lidar, and multi-angle, spectropolarimetric remote sensing imagery
can be used to constrain gaseous emissions and the particulate composition of smoke. We will also discuss the recent deployment of the ER-2 aircraft in the NASA/NOAA FIREX-AQ field campaign in summer 2019.