Tuesday, July 7, 2009

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0200Z July 8, 2009

Alaska/NW Canada:
Much of eastern and central Alaska is covered in smoke due to a large
number of fires burning in a wide swath through the state. As the fires
flared up in the afternoon and evening the smoke has become more dense
and spread to a larger area. The smoke extends eastward to cover much
of the Yukon and western Northwest Territory. The smoke also extends
across the Kenai Peninsula into the northern Gulf of Alaska and reaches
west to Kodiak Island.

Pacific Northwest into southern Canadian prairies:
An area of aerosol, which is believed to be sulfur dioxide (SO2), was seen
in visible imagery before sunset extending across portions of southeast
Washungtin and Oregon northeastward into Idaho and western Montana and
then wrapping into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Utah:
An area of blowing dust was seen stretching northeast from Millard county
and reaching the northern Wasatch.

California:
A plume of blowing dust was kicked up this evening over northwest San
Bernardino county and moving to the northeast.

Gulf of Mexico:
A broad area of aerosol was seen over the southern Gulf extending from
the north coast of the Yucatan east northeast across the Florida straights
and extreme southern Florida into the Bahamas. The source and composition
of this aerosol is uncertain.

Ruminski


More information on the areas of smoke described above as well as others
can be found at the locations listed below.

THE FORMAT OF THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS BEING MODIFIED. IT WILL NO LONGER
DESCRIBE THE VARIOUS PLUMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES. THESE
PLUMES ARE DEPICTED IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE:

JPEG:   http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/hms.html
GIS:    http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
KML:    http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/kml.html

THIS TEXT PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SMOKE
WHICH HAVE BECOME DETACHED FROM AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE
SOURCE FIRE, TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. IT WILL ALSO
STILL INCLUDE DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOWING DUST.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THESE CHANGES OR THE SMOKE TEXT
PRODUCT IN GENERAL SHOULD BE SENT TO SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov






 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.