DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 1700Z July 17, 2013

Central US:
A mix of unknown aerosols is observed in GOES WEST  imagery this morning
over the central US.  It is possible that there is a contribution of
smoke that has dropped south from wildfires in Canada but it is thought
that the aerosol is mainly comprised of haze and pollution.

West/Central Canada:
Moderate smoke is seen in central and southern Yukon territory from
several active smoke producing fires in that region. A broad band of
thin density smoke is observed in central Canada including parts of
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba that is remnant
from previously detected wildfires in the said regions. Also contributing
to the smoke are new fires seen southwest of Great Slave Lake. Another
area of thin, detached smoke was spotted over the Hudson Bay and likely
originated from western Canada.

Eastern Canada:
Moderate to dense remnant smoke is observed in extreme eastern Quebec,
Newfoundland, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Labrador and into the Labrador
Sea as a result of several wildfires that continue to burn in eastern
Quebec. Fires have produced enormous amounts of smoke for several days
that continues to drift southeastward into the Atlantic.

Alaska and Yukon:
Several active wildfires in Yukon Territory are responsible for a remnant
moderate density smoke plume that encompasses the southern half of the
territory as well as northern British Columbia and parts of the eastern
Pacific.


Ramirez


THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS
OF SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME
DETACHED FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE
FIRE..TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST
ARE ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF
THESE AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO
THE SOURCE FIRE 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
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT 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.