DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0115Z July 11, 2009
Canada: A large area of light to moderately dense smoke extends from large fires Happy Valley Goose Bay over the Labrador Sea before turning back west across the Gulf of St. Lawrence and making landfall in New Brunswick. Another large are of haze extends from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut south into Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This is likely remnant smoke from fires in Alaska. Alaska: A large area of light to moderately dense smoke is quasi-stationary over the southern coast of Alaska centered around Anchorage. SO2: A stream of haze moving west to east paralleling the US/Canadian border. The states through which the haze extends are Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and the the Canadian territories include the southern portions of British Columbia Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. This haze is remnant SO2 and other aerosols from the continuing eruption of Sarychev-Peak. Another area of haze has been moving down the west coast of British Columbia. Earlier today it was thought this was denser smoke from Alaskan fires but current satellite information reveals this to also be SO2. -Salemi 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