Pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds, powerful storm clouds produced during some wildfires, can send large amounts of a potent climate warmer called black carbon high into the atmosphere, where it can linger for months. A new study, partially supported by the Climate Program Office’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) program, used advanced methods to measure black carbon particles from within a pyroCb cloud, focusing on how these particles absorb light. The findings, published in Nature Communications, show that black carbon particles with thicker coatings of other materials absorb more light, potentially doubling their warming effect. This research improves scientists’ understanding of the warming effects of black carbon and accurately assesses their impact on the atmosphere and climate.
The new data on black carbon’s behavior in pyroCb clouds fills a gap in previous research, which often used less detailed models. An advanced understanding of how these particles enhance light absorption can improve climate models to predict the warming effects of large wildfires, which are expected to increase. This work was funded as part of a broader call to support additional measurements and analysis during the joint NOAA- and NASA-led FIREX-AQ (Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality 2019) field campaigns.
For more information, contact Clara Deck.
