Overview of the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN)

Wildfire smoke originating in the western U.S. impacts air quality, nutrient cycles, weather, and climate. The WE-CAN project deployed the NCAR/NSF C-130 research aircraft in summer 2018 (22 July - 31 August) to sample wildfire smoke during its first day of atmospheric evolution. The flight plans and aircraft payload were designed to answer scientific questions related to fixed nitrogen, absorbing aerosols, cloud activation and chemistry in wildfire plumes. We will provide an overview of the particular wildfires that were characterized during this mission, the spatial extent of the smoke that we sampled, and highlight preliminary findings from this project. More details on the project timeline and payload can be found here: https://www.eol.ucar.edu/field_projects/we-can