Actinic Flux and Photolysis Rate Measurements on the NSF/NCAR C130 during the WE-CAN Campaign

The NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) HARP-Actinic Flux spectrometers flew on the NSF/NCAR C130 aircraft during the WE-CAN (Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption, and Nitrogen) field campaign studying forest fire emissions based out of Boise, Idaho in the summer of 2018. Spectrally-resolved actinic flux measurements (290nm-640nm) are used to calculate photochemical reaction rates of important atmospheric species. This poster will summarize HARP measurements during the campaign and will use NCAR TUV model runs along the flight track to highlight areas of interest including the significant suppression of photolysis rates in smoke plumes. In addition to impacts on j-values, the effect of smoke plumes on the spectra, particularly in the UV-B, will be shown by comparing data taken when flying above, below, and inside the plumes.