Brookhaven and Pacific Northwest National Lab researchers sample regional wildfires in the Pacific Northwest
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Category: ResearchType: News
Source: PNNL
Date: Thursday, August 15th, 2013
August 15, 2013 
Stretching into fall, campaign will also sample agricultural burns in Tennessee
In a sky near you, scientists are sampling smoke from forest fires and biomass burns to study its role in cloud formation and climate. Researchers from the D.O.E.'s Brookhaven National Lab and Pacific Northwest National Lab are flying over fires this summer in the Pacific Northwest to study how particles called aerosols given off by wildfires evolve over time. After the Pacific Northwest, the researchers will conduct more flyovers in Tennessee to sample smoke from seasonal agricultural burns in the area. Called the Biomass Burning Observation Plan, this data-gathering campaign will help researchers flesh out one of the least understood areas of climate, the role of aerosols. Click here to read more about the campaign supported by DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility.
Using the DOE's Gulfstream-1 research aircraft, the research team has already flown over the Sunnyside fire in Oregon and the Colockum and Mile 28 fires in Washington, among several others. The campaign continues from Pasco through mid-September and from Tennessee in October. Click here to see the Climate Research Takes Flight video.
Tags: Energy, Environment, Fundamental Science, Climate Change, Aerosols
Interdisciplinary teams at Pacific Northwest National Lab address many of America's most pressing issues in energy, the environment and national security through advances in basic and applied science. Founded in 1965, PNNL employs 4,400 staff and has an yearly budget of in excess of $1 billion. It is managed by Battelle for the D.O.E.. For more information, visit the PNNL News Center, or follow PNNL on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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