Document Type

Article

Publication Date

January 2016

Publication Title

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Volume

16

First Page

4005

Last Page

4022

DOI

10.5194/acp-16-4005-2016

Disciplines

Meteorology

Abstract

In this paper we present the first direct observational evidence that the condensation level in pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds can be significantly higher than the ambient lifted condensation level. In addition, we show that the environmental thermodynamic profile, day-to-day variations in humidity, and ambient wind shear all exert significant influence over the onset and development of pyroconvective clouds. These findings are established using a scanning Doppler lidar and mobile radiosonde system during two large wildfires in northern California, the Bald Fire and the Rocky Fire. The lidar is used to distinguish liquid water from smoke backscatter during the plume rise, and thus provides a direct detection of plume condensations levels. Plume tops are subsequently determined from both the lidar and nearby radar observations. The radiosonde data, obtained adjacent to the fires, contextualize the lidar and radar observations, and enable estimates of the plume ascent, convective available potential energy, and equilibrium level. A noteworthy finding is that in these cases, the convective condensation level, not the lifted condensation level, provides the best estimate of the pyrocumulus initiation height.

Comments

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
This article can also be found online at the following link: http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/16/4005/2016/

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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