The Quebec Smoke in New England, July 2002 July 7, 2002 was one of the haziest days ever observed in

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The Quebec Smoke in New England, July 2002 July
7, 2002 was one of the haziest days ever observed
in the NE
Photo by P. Huoppi in the Burlington (VT) Free
Press 7/8/02
MODIS image

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• December 2002

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Fire Pixels from MODIS, June 25-July 6, 2002
Manitoba Sask. Fires Note pixel clusters due
to larger fires
Quebec Fires Note pixel clusters due to larger
fires
SE US Fires Random pixels from small fires

• Several satellite sensor (MODIS, GOES, AVHRR,
  ATSR..) detect the location of most fires -
  DAILY
• These fire pixels can be used as sensor-based
  inputs to regional/global models, e.g. NAAPS
• However, the quantity of smoke emitted from the
  from the fire pixels can not be estimated well
  .
• Hence, real-time model simulation of smoke
  transport is limited by the smoke emission
  estimates

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MODIS The Fine-Scale Picture The Fires and the
Smoke Transport of Smoke from N. Quebec to SE
Canada and NE US.
MODIS Land Rapid Response System

• 020705MODIS

020706 MODIS
020707 MODIS

• The Quebec smoke has a distinctly yellow color,
  different from the bluish sulfate haze.

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GOES 8 Animation
July 6 animation low-resolution, high resolution
July 7 animation low resolution, high resolution
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Acadia impact occurred later (7/8-10) than other
NE sites. Burlington, VT camera faces West, so
afternoon yellow color may be enhanced, but both
the haze and the incident light had distinct
yellow tint all day on 7/7/02.
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7/5/02 1500
Burlington, VT CAMNET
7/6/02 1500
7/7/02 1500
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This is not an Exceedance Day Clear Skies?
Burlington VT PM2.5 7/7/02 FRM 61.4
ug/m3 Duplicate FRM 62.6 ug/m3 CAMM 24-hr mean
61.9 ug/m3
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Quebec Smoke Composition
Need to Assume Lots of Non-Carbon Organic
Matter (Oxygen, Hydrogen, etc.)

• Traditional Fudge Factor Organic Matter 1.4 x
  Organic Carbon
• Here, we need factor of 1.8 or 2, depending on
  how OCs defined

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Similar Woodsmoke Source Identified by Battelle
Receptor Modeling at Lye Brook, VT also appears
to come from North Average Mass 2.42 ug/m3
32.0 of Total Fine Mass, Increasing Trend
Bext Major on Best 20 days, Minor on Worst 20
Days, Summer Maxima Major Mass Contributing
Species of Source OC, EC, S, K Major Species
Contributed by Source OC, Mn, V, K, EC
Battelle Guess Veg. Burning New Guess
Veg. Burning (local Can.)
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Smoke Pattern from ASOS Visibility sensors
The largest circles correspond to gt 100 ug/m3
PM2.5
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Maximum Impacts in Maine occurred a day or two
later (7/8-10) A second short spike early on 7/10
was also observed in VT Northeastern NY
DataTom Downs, Maine DEP
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Summer 2002 was a Regionally Hazy one in New
England (Lots of Major Sulfate Episodes and One
Big Forest Fire)
and most of these episodes (except the fire)
were accurately forecast and captured by UMD
Aircraft Flights over MANE-VU RPO region
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NRL Forecast Model for Dust, Smoke and
SulfateMETAR Surface Haze
Smoke
Sulfate
Dust
METAR Haze

• Preceding and during the Quebec smoke event,
  there was a sulfate episode over the Eastern US.
• Real-time model and surface observations are
  compared spatially and temporally
• By July 11 the smoke has cleared, but the EUS
  sulfate episode persisted

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IMPROVE Nephelometers show the same pattern (well
Duh!)
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ASOS Bext Pattern
Boston, MA
S. Ontario, Canada
Baltimore, DC
Burlington, VT
W,. New York
Hartford, CT
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SeaWiFS ASOS TOMS
SeaWiFS TOMS

• SeaWiFS ASOS Yellow circles proportional to
  ASOS Bext

• SeaWiFS TOMS absorbing aerosol index.
• Notes Yellow color (absorbing in blue?) no TOMS
  for fresh smoke

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Quebec Fires, July 6, 2002
SeaWiFS satellite and METAR surface haze shown
in the Voyager distributed data browser Satellite
data are fetched from NASA GSFC surface data
from NWS/CAPITA servers
SeaWiFS, METAR TOMS Index Superimposed
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GOES 8 METAR
GOES8 20020706_1315 UTC
GOES8 20020706_1715 UTC
GOES8 20020706_2115 UTC

• July 6, 2002 815, 1215, 1615 EST

GOES8 20020706_1315
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Impacts in NY State were highest at Highest
Elevation ( most Northeasterly) Whiteface
Mountain (from Dirk Felton, NY DEC)
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Quebec Smoke NASA Goddard Micro Pulse Lidar
GOES July 7, 02
MPL Lidar Network
02 July 6
July 7
July 8

• Vertical data are crucial for PM transport
• MPL LIDAR data on July 7 show smoke descending
  from 3 km to the surface

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Elevated Smoke Plume over NY City, May 31, 2001
AERONET AOT
SeaWiFS, May 30, 2001
HOURLY PM2.5, NY City
SeaWiFS, May 31, 2001

• Some smoke and haze plumes are above the surface
  layer, others are within
• Elevated layers can be inferred from the
  combination of surface and integral sensors

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Elevated Asian Dust Layer over Washington DC

• The Perfect Dust Storm in Gobi, April 7, 2001
• Transcontinental dust transport is well
  documented
• Goddard MP Lidar documents dust layer
• AERONET confirms by low (dust-like) the Angstrom
  exp.

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Trans-Atlantic Transport of Quebec Smoke
SeaWiFS Reflectance TOMS Absorbing Aerosol
July 10 Quebec smoke over Mid-Atlantic
E. US
Spain
SeaWiFS Reflectance TOMS Absorbing Aerosol

• July 11 Smoke approaching Europe

Spain
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Shadowband Sun Photometer (Slusser, CSU)
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Summary