Doppler lidar observations of plume dynamics from large wildfires

Abstract:

Novel Doppler lidar observations of smoke plumes from large wildfires are made from a mobile atmospheric profiling system. Few quantitative observations exist that resolve the plume dynamics of active wildfires. Our observations elucidate three important and poorly understood aspects of convective columns: (1) column rotation, (2) penetrative convection, and (3) deep pyrocumulus clouds. Our first observational case examines vigorus anti-cyclonic rotation that occurred in a rapidly developing wildfire. The convective column was first purely convergent, then as the fire intensified, the column acquired strong (+/- 15 m s^-1) anticyclonic rotation. The Doppler lidar recorded the vortex structure, strength, and evolution, including the merger of smaller vorticies into a single long-lived vortex. The second case examines the interaction of the convective plumes with shear layers and capping stable layers. These data show explosive convective growth as fire-induced buoyancy penetrated into the free troposphere. Observations of entrainment into the plumes is expecitly resolved in the lidar scans. The final case examines rarely observed deep pyrocumulus clouds associated with an intense forest fire. The lidar data reveal plume structure, including t the height of the lifted condensation level and the full height of the plume top which was in excess of 8 km AGL.