DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0230Z August 7, 2015
SMOKE Alaska: An area of light to moderate density remnant smoke was observed from central Alaska heading eastward into Yukon. Cloud cover obscured the full extent of this area of remnant smoke in southern Alaska, eastern Alaska and Yukon. Wildfires in central Alaska have contributed to this area of smoke and are emitting moderate to heavy density smoke plumes moving ESE. Northern Canada: An expansive area of light to moderate density smoke was visible across Northern Canada spanning from the Northwest Territories into Nunavut, Hudson Bay, northwestern Quebec, Baffin Island, the North Atlantic Ocean and possibly into Greenland although the smoke was more diffuse farther east making it difficult to delineate the full extent of this area of smoke in the North Atlantic Ocean. Wildfires in northern Alberta and the central portions of the Northwest Territories continue to provide moderate to heavy density smoke plumes tracking northwards contributing to this area of smoke. Pacific Northwest/Northern Plains: A band of light to moderate remnant smoke is seen from off the coast of northern California, southern Oregon, northern Nevada, southern Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas and northwestern Nebraska. A low pressure system is drawing this band of remnant smoke north into southern Saskatchewan. In northern California and southwest Oregon wildfires continue to emit heavy density smoke moving to the northwest off the coast adding additional smoke to the band of remnant smoke. Clouds over central California and Nevada which are moving towards the northeast began to obscure this area of smoke. AEROSOLS Gulf of Mexico/Atlantic Ocean/Southern US/Great Lakes Region: Areas of Saharan dust are visible throughout the Caribbean westward across the Gulf of Mexico and into Texas, the Gulf coast states and the southeastern US but clouds began to obscure this aerosol in the southeast. The dust was also visible passing from the eastern Gulf of Mexico over Florida and NE into the Atlantic Ocean and all along the eastern seaboard. Sulfates are likely present among the Saharan dust in the southern Plains, and the southeastern US. In between cloud cover over the Great Lakes region as far east as New York an aerosol composed of Sulfates, Saharan dust and possibly smoke is present -Cronin 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.ospo.noaa.gov/Products/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