Analysis of the impact of biomass burning in Australia on cloud properties using historical long-term satellite records

Aerosols are one of the most important but poorly understood factors that influence global climate change, either directly by interaction with radiation or indirectly through interaction with clouds. We investigate changes in cloud properties related to biomass burning events in Australia using multiple satellite data records spanning nearly 30 years. Australia was identified as a region of interested due to 1) the regional nature of aerosols and wide spread biomass burning on the continent, 2) the occurrence of two distinct fire seasons, one in the north and a second in the south which occur during different months and 3) prolonged drought for the last decade.