The effects of smoke plumes on global air quality

Arctic air quality is adversely affected by smoke plumes stemming from boreal fires in northwestern Canada.  Data from Arctic Research Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites 2 (ARCTAS 2) Mission, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, and the NASA LaRC airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) were analyzed to study the smoke properties and determine the smoke transport routes.  The simultaneous flights between the B200, DC8, and P3 were used for intercomparisons of data and to study the horizontal and vertical variability of smoke from these boreal fires.  Fire plumes detected by HSRL were compared with CALIPSO data for validation of the CALIPSO sensor.  Florida State University (FSU) trajectories created by Henry Fuelberg were used to analyze the path of the plumes.  The trajectories, along with the atmospheric chemical models, Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers -- MOZART and Sulfur Transport and Deposition Model -- STEM, were used to observe whether the plumes traveled across the United States border.  Smoke plumes pose a health hazard by contributing to the decline of the air quality in regions affected by fires.  The worldwide dispersion of boreal fire smoke plumes negatively impacts the global climate, the ozone, and air quality.  Thus, this study will help policy-makers better direct health-related industries by providing an accurate analysis of the health effects of boreal forest fires.