NASA Satellites Animate World Path of Smoke From Australia Bushfires by Genevieve Scarano

NASA Satellites Animate World Path of Smoke From Australia Bushfires –

A fleet of NASA satellites are working together to study the movement of smoke from the Australia bushfires. (Photo Credit: NASA / Colin Seftor)

The Australia bushfires are negatively impacting global weather patterns: A fleet of NASA satellites is working together to study a world path of aerosols and smoke from the natural disaster.

Bushfire conditions, which include historic dryness and extreme heat, have caused a large number of pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCbs) events to develop. PyroCbs, also known as fire-induced thunderstorms, are formed by the uplift of ash and smoke via hot updrafts. Once these materials cool down, some clouds behave like thunderstorms without precipitation.

Explosive Fire Activity in Australia https://t.co/V37TB09qDx #NASA

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 9, 2020

These pyroCbs allow for a pathway of smoke to reach the stratosphere. Once smoke gets there, it can travel many miles from its source and affect atmospheric conditions on a global scale. The effects of pyroCbs are currently being analyzed by scientists.

Photo Credit: NASA / Colin Seftor

NASA is currently tracking smoke movement from the bushfires via pyroCbs activity. The smoke is causing New Zealand to experience air quality issues and dark mountaintop snow.

Carried by the wind, dust and ash particles from #Australia have painted some New Zealand glaciers with a brown-orange tint. https://t.co/kQVlmhj0gC #NASA #Landsat pic.twitter.com/uejfucnfVb

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 8, 2020

VIIRS and OMPS-NM, two instruments aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, are helping scientists track and characterize this smoke cloud. These instruments help create a “true-color” view of the smoke with imagery.

Satellite data from OMPS-NM is used to develop an ultraviolet aerosol index to track aerosols and smoke. The UV aerosol index and RGB information are combined to easily identify the movement of these materials.

By Wednesday, the smoke moved halfway around our planet, crossing South America and creating hazy skies in the process. It’s expected to make at least one more rotation around Earth, and return again to the Australian region.

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