Using FIREX-AQ data to learn more about aerosols from wildfires

Smoke rises from a wildfire. Credit: NOAA

A new study supported by the Climate Program Office’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) Program takes a close look at organic aerosols emitted from wildfires and how they impact surrounding regions. A research team, including AC4-funded researchers Vanessa Selimovic and Robert Yokelson of the University of Montana, present and analyze measurements from the joint NOAA- and NASA-led FIREX-AQ (Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality 2019) field campaigns. Some of these measurements were taken by another AC4-funded scientist Delphine Farmer of Colorado State University. This work contributes to an AC4 initiative to use FIREX-AQ data to understand and predict the impact of North American fires on the atmosphere and to support better land management to help prevent them from occurring.