loading page

High Temporal Resolution Satellite Observations of Fire Radiative Power Reveal Link Between Fire Behavior and Aerosol and Gas Emissions
  • +21
  • Elizabeth Brooke Wiggins,
  • Soja Amber Jeanine,
  • Emily M. Gargulinski,
  • Halliday Hannah Selene,
  • Brad Pierce,
  • Christopher C. Schmidt,
  • John B. Nowak,
  • Joshua Paul DiGangi,
  • Diskin Glenn S.,
  • Joseph M. Katich,
  • Perring Anne E.,
  • Joshua Peter Schwarz,
  • Bruce E. Anderson,
  • Gao Chen,
  • Ewan Crosbie,
  • Carolyn Jordan,
  • Claire E Robinson,
  • Kevin Sanchez,
  • Taylor Shingler,
  • Michael Shook,
  • Kenneth L Thornhill,
  • Edward L Winstead,
  • Luke D. Ziemba,
  • Richard H Moore
Elizabeth Brooke Wiggins
NASA Langley

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Soja Amber Jeanine
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Emily M. Gargulinski
National Institute of Aerospace
Author Profile
Halliday Hannah Selene
EPA
Author Profile
Brad Pierce
Unknown
Author Profile
Christopher C. Schmidt
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Author Profile
John B. Nowak
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Joshua Paul DiGangi
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Diskin Glenn S.
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Joseph M. Katich
NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
Author Profile
Perring Anne E.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Author Profile
Joshua Peter Schwarz
NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory
Author Profile
Bruce E. Anderson
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Gao Chen
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Ewan Crosbie
Universities Space Research Association
Author Profile
Carolyn Jordan
National Institute of Aerospace
Author Profile
Claire E Robinson
Science Systems and Applications
Author Profile
Kevin Sanchez
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Taylor Shingler
NASA Langley
Author Profile
Michael Shook
Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Kenneth L Thornhill
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Edward L Winstead
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Luke D. Ziemba
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile
Richard H Moore
NASA Langley Research Center
Author Profile

Abstract

Wildfire smoke influences on air quality and atmospheric chemistry have been underscored by the increasing fire prevalence in recent years, and yet, the connection between fire, smoke emissions, and the subsequent transformation of this smoke in the atmosphere remains poorly constrained. Toward improving these linkages, we present a new method for coupling high-time-resolution satellite observations of fire radiative power (FRP) with in situ observations of smoke aerosols and trace gases. We apply this technique to thirteen fire plumes comprehensively characterized during the recent FIREX-AQ mission and show that changes in FRP directly translate into changes in conserved smoke tracers (CO2, CO, and black carbon aerosol) observed in the downwind smoke plume. The correlation is particularly strong for CO2 (mean r>0.9). This method is important for untangling the competing effects of changing fire behavior versus the influence of dilution and atmospheric processing on the down-wind evolution of measured smoke properties.
16 Dec 2020Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 47 issue 23. 10.1029/2020GL090707