California fires such as the Bobcat fire lofted smoke high into the stratosphere, where it can linger and contribute to variability in the climate record.
Wildfires have been burning across the state of California since August 2020. As the fires continue to rage, NASA Earth science missions have observed increased numbers of airborne particles known as aerosols across the country.
Different types of aerosols scatter or absorb sunlight to varying degrees, depending on their size, type and location. While most aerosols reflect sunlight, dark colored soot particles from fires absorb sunlight, warming Earth’s atmosphere, and shading the surface below it. When smoke from large wildfire events enters the stratosphere, these competing warming and cooling effects on the atmosphere can contribute to variability in the climate record.
In September and October, the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) instrument aboard the International Space Station observed smoke from the ongoing wildfires using solar occultation, a measurement technique that involves looking at light from the Sun as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere at the edge, or limb, of the planet. The initial observation was made over the Eastern United States, but additional instances of increased stratospheric aerosols were observed south of California in the succeeding days. SAGE III observations show a significant increase in stratospheric aerosols when compared to data from July.
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Image via NASA Langley Research Center
