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High Temporal Resolution Satellite Observations of Fire Radiative Power Reveal Link Between Fire Behavior and Aerosol and Gas Emissions
Author(s) -
Wiggins Elizabeth B.,
Soja Amber J.,
Gargulinski Emily,
Halliday Hannah S.,
Pierce R. Bradley,
Schmidt Christopher C.,
Nowak John B.,
DiGangi Joshua P.,
Diskin Glenn S.,
Katich Joseph M.,
Perring Anne E.,
Schwarz Joshua P.,
Anderson Bruce E.,
Chen Gao,
Crosbie Ewan C.,
Jordan Carolyn,
Robinson Claire E.,
Sanchez Kevin J.,
Shingler Taylor J.,
Shook Michael,
Thornhill Kenneth L.,
Winstead Edward L.,
Ziemba Luke D.,
Moore Richard H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl090707
Subject(s) - smoke , environmental science , plume , atmosphere (unit) , radiative transfer , aerosol , trace gas , atmospheric sciences , satellite , air quality index , biomass burning , panache , meteorology , geology , physics , quantum mechanics , astronomy
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 with in situ observations of smoke aerosols and trace gases. We apply this technique to 13 fire plumes comprehensively characterized during the recent FIREX‐AQ mission and show that changes in fire radiative power directly translate into changes in conserved smoke tracers (CO 2 , CO, and black carbon aerosol) observed in the downwind smoke plume. The correlation is particularly strong for CO 2 (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 downwind evolution of measured smoke properties.