SourceChasing Fire Clouds in Utah
Better forecasting reduces uncertainty for fire officials organizing evacuations during active wildfires. These clouds also potentially impact Earth's ozone layer and energy budget.
- The Widemouth 2 fire produced multiple pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud bursts with cloud-top temperatures below -40°C.
- Observations were coordinated using NASA's Aqua satellite (MODIS), NOAA's GOES-West, and research aircraft sampling smoke at 12 km altitude.
- INSPYRE investigates how wildfire smoke reaches the stratosphere and influences ozone chemistry and Earth's radiative energy balance.
- Collaborative research involving NASA, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, NSF, and NCAR.