Wildfires

Towering Wildfire Clouds Impact the Stratosphere

Vast clouds of wildfire smoke towering into the sky have become all too familiar from recent active fire years across the western United States and Australia. Now, a team of atmospheric scientists led by NOAA has demonstrated these big vertical plumes of wildfire smoke have a major long term impact on the stratosphere – and climate.

Fire-triggered thunderstorms, called pyrocumulonimbus or pyroCbs, are generated when the intense heat of a wildfire triggers a huge thunderstorm that carries smoke into the stratosphere, five to seven miles above the surface. Measurements show that pyroCb events dominate contributions of black carbon and organic carbon to the lower stratosphere, the net effect of which cools the planet. Scientists believe the impact of pyroCb events, which are becoming more frequent, is significant.