Thursday, July 2, 2010

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0330Z July 03, 2010

Alaska:
An area of thin to locally moderate density smoke has become much more
difficult to detect on satellite imagery this evening over portions of
northern Alaska.   Satellite imagery indicates that a good portion of
smoke has moved into the Bering Strait and portions of the Arctic Ocean.
Additional wildfires over northwestern Alaska were also producing areas
of moderate density smoke that also appeared to be drifting to the west.
A more detailed smoke analysis was somewhat hindered by the cloud cover
over the wildfire areas.

Central to Eastern Canada:
Numerous large wild fires over northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba
were continuing to produce a large moderate to locally dense smoke plume
this evening.  Widespread cloud cover from approaching storm system
prevented a detailed smoke analysis but it is believed that an area of
moderate to locally dense smoke was located from northern Saskatchewan
extending into northern Manitoba, southeastern Northwest Territories,
southern Nunavut and over west central portions of Hudson Bay.  A thinner
area of smoke was then believed to extend further east into northern
portions of Quebec.

Central and Northern Plains States to southern Manitoba and Ontario:
An area of aerosol that is believed to be at least partially composed
of remnant smoke from the persistent agricultural fires over Kansas
and Oklahoma was evident on evening satellite imagery extending from
Kansas/Oklahoma northeast through the northern Plains/western Great
Lakes states towards the southern portions of James Bay.

Southeast states:
An thin area of aerosol was analyzed this evening from Carolinas west
towards Louisiana and Arkansas.  There is likely some minor remnant
smoke along this axis from this past weeks wildfires over southeastern
and central Canada.

Hanna

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.osdpd.noaa.gov/ml/land/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.