Articles | Volume 23, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
03 Jan 2023
Research article |
| 03 Jan 2023
| 03 Jan 2023
In situ microphysics observations of intense pyroconvection from a large wildfire
David E. Kingsmill
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies,
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Jeffrey R. French
Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie,
Wyoming, USA
Neil P. Lareau
Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA
Related authors
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Samuel Ephraim, Paquita Zuidema, Aaron Bansemer, Lintong Cai, Markus Petters, Elise Rosky, Jefferson R. Snider, Zhien Wang, Sarah Woods, Kevin Barry, Theresa Campos, Owen Cruikshank, Sabine Eckhardt, Nikolaos Evangeliou, Romanos Foskinis, Jeffrey R. French, Bart Geerts, Coltin Grasmick, Silvia Henning, Varun Kumar, Andreas Massling, Camille Mavis, Greg M. McFarquhar, Athanasios Nenes, Gunnar Noer, Ryan Patnaude, Russell Perkins, Lise Lotte Sorensen, Henrik Skov, Tyler Tatro, Florian Tornow, and Lu Zhang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2940, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2940, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
The processes that establish how mixed-phase closed-cell clouds transition to more open cellular structures are poorly known. First-of-its kind aircraft observations document such a transition in the presence of anomalously high aerosol concentrations over the Nordic Seas at cloud temperatures < -15 °C. The reduces the drop size, discouraging riming. Eventually, ice precipitation produces surface cold pools that drive the convective transition, despite strong counteracting surface fluxes.
Timothy W. Juliano, Fernando Szasdi-Bardales, Neil P. Lareau, Kasra Shamsaei, Branko Kosović, Negar Elhami-Khorasani, Eric P. James, and Hamed Ebrahimian
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 47–52, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-47-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-47-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Following the destructive Lahaina Fire in Hawaii, our team has modeled the wind and fire spread processes to understand the drivers of this devastating event. The simulation results show that extreme winds with high variability, a fire ignition close to the community, and construction characteristics led to continued fire spread in multiple directions. Our results suggest that available modeling capabilities can provide vital information to guide decision-making during wildfire events.
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Short summary
This study uses in situ aircraft measurements to characterize the size and shape distributions of 10 µm to 6 mm diameter particles observed during six penetrations of wildfire-induced pyroconvection. Particles sampled in one penetration of a smoke plume are most likely pyrometeors composed of ash. The other penetrations are through pyrocumulus clouds where particle composition is most likely a combination of hydrometeors (ice particles) and pyrometeors (ash).
This study uses in situ aircraft measurements to characterize the size and shape distributions...
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