Study of biomass burning plume heights using combined satellite measurements

Vertical distribution of carbonaceous aerosols, especially those with strong absorbing and scattering properties, are of a great importance for current climate studies. Vertical aerosol profiles, however, still need further investigation to improve our understanding, and ability to simulate them in global aerosol and climate models. Satellite observations present a good dataset for model validation due to their global and regular nature. We present the preliminary results of a study on the height of biomass burning (BB) aerosol plumes as observed by Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) on Terra satellite, and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on CALIPSO satellite. BB plume heights detected by these instruments are compared for several fire cases, where these measurements are close in space and time. Additionally, study shows how the fire events detected by Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are correlated with the MISR and CALIOP measurements. Several fire cases in different locations on the Earth during the years 2006-2008 have been chosen for analysis. Aerosol heights observed by the satellite instruments will further be compared with the aerosol profiles produced by the global Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model.