Science

Pollution Transport in California Smoke Plumes

The NASA TROPESS Project quantifies atmospheric composition from the NASA CRIS satellite. These measurements of carbon monoxide and Reactive Nitrogen gases (Peroxyacylnitrate and Ammonia) show that California fires are a local, continental, and global air-quality problem. The plots below show California during the August Complex fire in 2020.

Carbon Monoxide Sep 12, 2020
CO: A tracer of combustion, shows where the smoke plume is travelling and also contributes to surface pollution
PAN (Ozone Precursor) Sep 12, 2020
PAN is formed in smoke plumes and is chemically stable in the middle troposphere where it can move around the world. When PAN descends to the surface it becomes an important ingredient for smog
Tropospheric Ammonia Sep 12, 2020
Most people associate ammonia with cleaning products and livestock but fires also create lots of ammonia. Ammonia is a key ingredient for aerosol pollution