DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0123Z July 17, 2009
Central Canada/North Dakota: Moderately dense smoke (mostly in the upper levels of the troposphere) from earlier fire output from AK/Yukon Territory this week, can be seen between large well defined cyclones over Lake Superior and E of Big Bear Lake. The smoke covers all of continental Nunavut and NW Hudson Bay moving N and NE, a large pocket of centered over Saskatchewan/Manitoba provincial line moving due south with a bit of thin smoke moving SE over central ND. Alaska/Yukon Territory: Much of the thin smoke seen this morning is either too thin or cannot be detected at this time without a sharp sun angle. Most active fires in NE AK and S Yukon are producing moderate to dense smoke which can be seen at the graphics at the web links below. SO2: Most satellite sensors that are sensitive to SO2 (OMI, GNOME, IASI, and Metop) do not have very strong signals, though remnant SO2 has been seen intermittently via Calipso sensor typically in the lower stratosphere over SW Canada through to the high plains of S Canada and N US. However, thin wisps of unknown consistency can be seen over MT and W SD with Goes-east, this matches up with the limited signals seen on the satellite sensors as well as the fact that flow has been very stagnant in this region at extremely high altitudes over the past few weeks. Gallina 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