We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Evaluation of Wildfire Plume Injection Heights Estimated from Operational Weather Radar Observations Using Airborne Lidar Retrievals.
- Authors
Krishna, M.; Saide, P. E.; Ye, X.; Turney, F. A.; Hair, J. W.; Fenn, M.; Shingler, T.
- Abstract
The vertical distribution of wildfire smoke aerosols is important in determining its environmental impacts but existing observations of smoke heights generally do not possess the temporal resolution required to fully resolve the diurnal behavior of wildfire smoke injection. We use Weather Surveillance Radar‐1988 Doppler (WSR‐88D) dual polarization data to estimate injection heights of Biomass Burning Debris (BBD) generated by fires. We detect BBD as a surrogate for smoke aerosols, which are often collocated with BBD near the fire but are not within the size range detectable by these radars. Injection heights of BBD are derived for 2–10 August 2019, using WSR‐88D reflectivity (Z ≥ 10 dBZ) and dual polarization correlation coefficients (0.2 < C.C < 0.9) to study the Williams Flats fire. Results show the expected diurnal cycles with maximum injection heights present during the late afternoon period when the fire's intensity and convective mixing are maximized. WSR‐88D and airborne lidar injection height comparisons reveal that this method is sensitive to outliers and generally overpredicts maximum heights by 40%, though mean and median heights are better captured (<20% mean error). WSR‐88D heights between the 75th and 90th percentile seem to accurately represent the maximum heights, with the exception of heights estimated during the occurrence of a pyro‐cumulonimbus. Location specific mapping of WSR‐88D and lidar injection heights reveal that they diverge further away from the fire as expected due to BBD settling. Most importantly, WSR‐88D‐derived injection height estimates provide near continuous smoke height information, allowing for the study of diurnal variability of smoke injections. Plain Language Summary: Wildfire smoke aerosols injected into the atmosphere pose a serious threat to human health and the environment. Once in the atmosphere, these aerosols can be transported downwind, affecting air quality regionally. Aerosols advected downwind travel distances that are strongly correlated with the maximum heights that aerosols can reach near their source, making it important to observe these 'injection heights'. However, existing observations of injection heights are limited temporally, making it difficult to study their diurnal and day‐to‐day variability. Here, we use weather radar data to estimate the injection heights of Biomass Burning Debris (BBD), which is assumed to be collocated with aerosols that are too small to be detected by these radars. Injection heights are estimated for the Williams Flats Fire event in Washington for 2–10 August 2019. Results show that daily maximum injection heights occur in the late afternoon, when the wildfire's intensity is strongest. Further, weather radar‐derived heights are compared to airborne lidar‐derived heights for the same fire, revealing that the maximums are overpredicted but intermediate values like the mean are well represented. Weather radar‐derived injection height estimates allow for near continuous smoke heights, making them relevant for future studies. Key Points: Weather radar estimates of biomass burning debris injection heights are evaluated against aerosol heights from airborne lidarRadar maximum injection heights tend to be overpredicted while mean, median, 75th and 90th percentiles perform betterThe maximum injection height can be predicted generally well by the 75th to 90th percentiles of the radar estimates
- Subjects
WASHINGTON (D.C.); WILDFIRES; RADAR meteorology; BIOMASS burning; WILDFIRE prevention; LIDAR; AIR quality; AEROSOLS; HUMAN ecology
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Atmospheres, 2024, Vol 129, Issue 9, p1
- ISSN
2169-897X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023JD039926