Journal article
Constraints on the modeled vertical distribution of smoke during the 2020 western US wildfires from satellite data
npj Clean Air, Vol.1(1), 37
12/04/2025
DOI: 10.1038/s44407-025-00036-3
Abstract
As wildfires increase in frequency and intensity, accurately representing the vertical distribution of smoke in numerical models is critical for assessing impacts to air quality, but remains highly uncertain. In this study, we leverage satellite retrievals of total column carbon monoxide (CO) and aerosol layer height (ALH) to evaluate two state-of-the-art regionals and global models, one using a plume rise parameterization to estimate smoke injection height (RAP-Chem) and another placing smoke at the surface (MOMO-Chem). We introduce a novel metric that utilizes the differing vertical sensitivities of two satellite sensors observing CO (TROPOMI and CrIS) to infer the vertical distribution of wildfire smoke using a joint CO column ratio. We find that RAP-Chem better captures the distribution of CO and ALH related to the 2020 western US megafire event than MOMO-Chem. However, RAP-Chem underestimates surface CO concentrations, revealing that current plume rise parameterizations are limited in their ability to partition smoke correctly in the vertical column. These results show that synergistic use of satellite data can provide additional constraints on the vertical distribution of smoke, thus providing insights into the strengths and limitations of current plume rise parameterizations and a pathway to improvement.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Constraints on the modeled vertical distribution of smoke during the 2020 western US wildfires from satellite data
- Creators
- Mackenzie M. Arnold - University of California, Los AngelesPablo E. Saide - University of California, Los AngelesKazuyuki Miyazaki - Jet Propulsion LaboratoryKevin W. Bowman - Jet Propulsion LaboratoryJordan L. Schnell - University of Colorado BoulderRavan Ahmadov - NOAA Global Systems LaboratoryXi Chen - University of IowaJun Wang - University of IowaOscar A. Neyra-Nazarrett - University of California, Los Angeles
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- npj Clean Air, Vol.1(1), 37
- DOI
- 10.1038/s44407-025-00036-3
- ISSN
- 3059-2240
- eISSN
- 3059-2240
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group UK
- Grant note
- NASA 2238338; 2238338 / NSF 1686347; 1686347; 1686347 / Jet Propulsion Laboratory (https://doi.org/10.13039/100006196) SV7-87011; SV7-87011 / NASA TEMPO mission 80NSSC22K0503; 80NSSC22K0503 / DSCOVR Earth Instrument program NA22OAR4320151; NA22OAR4320151 / NOAA 80NSSC20K1747; 80NSSC20K1747 / Remote Sensing Theory (RST) program NA23OAR4310303; NA23OAR4310303 / NOAA Climate Program Office
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/04/2025
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Iowa Technology Institute; Physics and Astronomy; Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9985090626802771
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