Thanks to David Diner, David Nelson and Yang Chen (JPL)

and Ralph Kahn (NASA/Goddard)

Research funded by NSF and EPA

Overview of the Overview of the 2002 North 2002 North American Plume American Plume Injection HeightsInjection Heights

Maria Val Martin, Jennifer A. Logan Maria Val Martin, Jennifer A. Logan and Rose Yevichand Rose Yevich

Harvard University

FokFok-Yan-Yan Leung Leung Washington State University

MISR Plumes

Large area burned over North America in 2002

“2002 fire season was one of the biggest of the past half century”, Ecology and Economic Research Department

3,000,000 ha burned in U.S. and 2,500,000 ha in Canada

1 billion $ to suppress fires in the lower 48 states

NASA/Goddard Space Flight CenterMODIS Rapid Response Project (NASA/GSFC and University of Maryland)

56000 ha, June 8-22, 2002 30 miles from Denver and Colorado Springs

Colorado Department of Public Health and EnvironmentVedal et al., Env Res, 2006

The Hayman fire, Colorado

Hayman fire caused worst air quality ever in Denver

June 8, 2002 June 9, 2002 PM10 = 372 μg/m3

PM2.5 = 200 μg/m3

PM10 = 40 μg/m3

PM2.5 = 10 μg/m3

Boreal Wildfires

Boreal wildfire emissions perturb hemispheric CO

Kasischke et al., JGR 2005

Average Northern Hemisphere CO from NOAA/GMD stations

Annual running average

Gillett et al., GRL, 2004

5 year means

Area burned in Canada has increased since the 1960s

Increasing area burned and frequency of fires

Westerling et al., Science, 2007

Increased fire frequency over western U.S. since last decades

Obtain better estimates of injection heights from forest fires

Use of MISR data to determine the dependence of plume height on meteorology, area burned and fuel characteristics

Assess the effects on atmospheric composition

Use CTM GEOS-Chem to examine the regional influences of fires on trace gases and aerosols and hemispheric scale effects

McNally Fire (CA)

Objectives and Approach

Objectives and Approach

2002 North American Plumes

488 plumes digitalized with MINX v1.0

340 plumes analyzed

February--November 2002

56% located in AK and Can, 36% in lower 48 states and 8% in Mexico and Puerto Rico

Meteorology

GEOS-4 2x2.5 resolution

PBL, pressures and temperature interpolated to MISR overpass time

PBL

dz

dS

pcR

p

pT

/

0

Potential Temperature Vertical Gradient

Relationship between atmospheric stability and observed plume heights [Kahn et al., 2007]

Plume Heights and Height of PBLm

MISR wind-corrected median heights

Quebec fires

250,000 Ha

July 2-10, 2002

km

Number of Pixels

PBL

Stratified profilePlume trapped at stable layer

Median Height = 1103 m

kmHayman Fire (CO)

56,000 ha

June 8-10 & June 17-18

40% burned with high severity

Median Height=4156 m

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Weak stratified profile Plume trapped at stable layer

Number of Pixels

PBL

Rodeo Fire (AZ)

104,000 Ha

June 18-July 7

http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020701fires.html

Median Height = 3997 m

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

Neutral profile Plume dispersed vertically

PBL

km

kmMoose Creek (AK) 2,100 ha

BJ Bay Comp (GA) 49, 600 ha

Median Height = 1133 m

Median Height = 968 m

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

Stratified profilePlume trapped belowPBL

Stratified profile Plume trapped belowPBL

Kahn et al, GRL, in press

Number Plumes

Mode Distribution

[Plume- PBL] Height > 0 km

[Plume- PBL] Height > 0.5 km

2004

664

-0.125

20-21%

5-17 %

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

0

10

20

30

40

-4.0 -3.0 -2.0 -1.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

Plume Height - Boundary Layer Height (km)

Cou

nts

/ N

orm

ali

zed

Are

a

Median Heights (counts)

Heights Normalized by Total Pixel Count(arbitrary scale)

peak-=-0.125 km

2004

6-9%

24-30%

-0.125

193Boreal wildfire smoke injection heights in 2002 similar behavior as 2004…

peak-=-0.125 km

Median Heights

Heights Normalized by Total Pixel Count

2002

2002

5-17% plumes injected above PBL in 2004 over AK and Can

2002 AK and Can

Number Plumes 193

Mode Distribution -0.125

[Plume-PBL] Height > 0 km 24-30%

[Plume-PBL] Height > 0.5 km 6-9%

AK and Can

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

Injection heights over the lower 48 states and Mexico/Puerto Rico

2002 AK and Can Lower 48 Subtropical

Number Plumes 193 121 26

Mode Distribution -0.125 0.125 -0.625

[Plume-PBL] Height > 0 km 24-30% 38-45% 42-56%

[Plume-PBL] Height > 0.5 km 6-9% 17-20% 20-23%

AK and CanLower 48Subtropical

Plume Heights and Height of PBL

Larger fraction of plumes above PBL in lower 48 states and subtropical fires

Injection heights over the lower 48 states and Mexico/Puerto Rico

Kg dry matter/m2

Poor correlation between injection heights and fuel loading

Plume Heights and Fuel ConsumptionFuel Loading Map (0.025x0.025 resolution) and Plume Median Heights

Rodeo Fire (AZ) andHayman Fire (CO)

Summary

MISR was able to detect plumes with different fire characteristics (stability, severity, and fuel loading)

The 2002 North American plumes show that about 6-20% fire plumes reach the FT

Higher fraction of plumes found above boundary layer for the lower 48 states and subtropical region

Poor correlation between injection height and fuel consumption for the lower 48 states fires, perhaps atmospheric stability is more important

On-going work:

Parameterization of injection heights of emissions from forest fires in GEOS-Chem