Data Fusion of Imaging Spectroscopy, Lidar, and In-Situ Laboratory Data for Detecting Aerosols from Biomass Burning Events

Aerosols absorb and scatter solar and thermal infrared radiation, thereby altering the radiative balance of the Earth-atmosphere system. This is called the aerosol direct effect. Remote sensing of aerosols from satellites is essential to obtain the contribution of anthropogenic emission to the radiative balance. It is necessary to be able to map their presence and abundance using remote measurements. If we can quantify the occurrence of aerosols from biomass burning using remote sensing, we can improve our understanding of the direct radiative effect. This study uses airborne remote sensing data to understand, identify, and quantify smoke aerosols in the atmosphere. In particular, using Imaging Spectroscopy and lidar data to detect the presence and abundance of aerosols. Airborne remote sensing data was collected over the active Simi Valley wildfire on October 27, 2003 in Southern California. The Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was flown on a commercially operated Twin Otter aircraft at an altitude of 6 km, and collected 224 channels of radiance data from 380 - 2400 nm with 10 nm spectral resolution. Shortly after the AVIRIS data collection, the Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) was flown on the NASA ER-2 at an altitude of 20 km. CPL is a three wavelength instrument that operates at 1064, 532, and 355 nm, with a 30 m vertical and 200 m horizontal resolution. Controlled laboratory measurements of aerosol optics from burning various woods and grasses provide insight and refinement of our understanding of remote sensing data for biomass burning aerosol. In 2006 and 2007 a two-phase project was conducted at the US Forest Service's Fire Science Laboratory to characterize particulate matter generated by biomass burning. The Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment (FLAME) is supported by the Joint Fire Science Program and is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service, the Desert Research Institute, and Colorado State University. FLAME was a series of laboratory measurements of smoke emission of several important fuel types. These fuel types included dominant species of the Southern Californian Chaparral vegetation community. During the 2007 phase of FLAME a portable field spectroradiometer collected radiance data from 380 - 2400 nm for comparison with AVIRIS. Other in-situ measurements of aerosol optical and chemical properties collected during FLAME will also be compared to the October 27, 2003 remote sensing measurements of wildfire aerosols. This study will quantify the presence of aerosols from biomass burning using remote sensing.