DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1445Z July 4, 2009
Alaska: Large amounts of moderate to dense smoke are mixing with midlevel stratocumulus clouds as a frontal zone approaches from the Aleutians/Bering Sea. Smoke covers nearly the eastern 2/3rds of AK...and is generally moving SSE, though some thin smoke around the western Brooks Ranges is stretching toward the NW. Yukon: A second pocket of moderately dense smoke from emissions from two days ago from fires along the upper Yukon River such as Sheenjek and Rock Slough Wildfires has settled S covering the SW corner of the Yukon Territory and nearby sections of the AK peninsula near Yukutat into the NW Gulf of Alaska SE of the Kenai peninsula. SO2: SO2 has thinned out quite a bit across North America and is getting very difficult to determine between hazy conditions and smoke from AK...though the thin swath still can be seen across Queen Charlotte Island into central Alberta above mtn cirrus clouds...this area appears to be remaining stationary between northern and southern flow regimes. However, some very thin SO2 appears to have mixed downward in elevation across S and SE Saskatchewan moving ESE into S Manitoba. Also very thin SO2 can be seen only at extreme sun angles on the western periphery of large cloudy area associated with an upper level low across all of Hudson bay and N Ontario. 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