Modeling and remote sensing of an indirect Pyro-Cb formation and biomass transport from Portugal wildfires towards Europe

Abstract A unique event of long-range transport of biomass burning aerosol over Europe is detected by EARLINET and CALIPSO during 18–23 June 2017. The origin of these layers was a series of deadly wildfires that started in Portugal on 17 June 2017. This is the first time that smoke layers originating from West Europe are found at such long distances reaching up to Crete. In this work we use remote sensing (Polly XT lidars, CALIPSO, MSG) and modeling synergies (FLEXPART-WRF) to describe the properties of the emitted smoke and its atmospheric transport. Emission fluxes and injection heights are parameterized based on the hourly MSG-SEVIRI detections of Fire Radiative Power (FRP). Atmospheric dynamics is the main cause for this event; smoke particles are uplifted to the upper tropospheric layers due to convective activity over the Iberian Peninsula and this indirect pyro-Cb formation favors their transport to very long distances westward.