Skip to main content
composite image of the wildfire data captured during the MISR Wildfire campaign
composite image of data captured during the MISR wildfre campaign
composite image of data captured during the MISR wildfre campaign

MISR Wildfire Research

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer Wildfire Research Project

Wildfire-related aircraft field campaigns frequently offer opportunities to validate remote-sensing retrievals of aerosol properties and other quantities derived from satellite-borne-instrument observations. Satellite instruments often provide regional context-imagery for more sparsely sampled aircraft and surface-based measurements. 

However, aerosol amount, particle type, aerosol plume height and the associated wind vector products retrieved from the NASA Earth Observing System’s Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument have matured sufficiently that these quantities can also contribute substantially to a campaign dataset, in a regional context. This is especially useful when such measurements are not acquired at all from the suborbital platforms. 

During NOAA’s California Fire Dynamics Experiment (CalFiDE), aircraft operations were coordinated with MISR overpasses on two occasions: for the Rum Creek fire on 30 August 2022, and for the Mosquito fire on 08 September. MISR-retrieved aerosol properties show distinctly different patterns of black and brown smoke particle distributions and inferred plume evolution in the two cases. 

This paper presents the satellite-retrieved results that complement the field observations, demonstrating what such measurements can offer, and contributing material for detailed fire dynamics and chemistry studies when combined with the CalFiDE suborbital observations and models in continuing studies.

MISR-derived output from a comprehensive analysis of wildfire smoke plumes observed across Canada and Alaska from May-September of 2016-2019 and Siberia from 2017-2021.

This dataset contains detailed analysis of wildfire plumes using the MISR instrument. The comprehensive study focuses on wildfire events that occurred in Canada and Alaska during the summer months (May through September) over a four-year period from 2016 to 2019. The data are stratified by biome type, season, and year.

Junghenn Noyes, K.T., R.A. Kahn, J.A. Limbacher, A. Sedlechek, L. Kleinman, and Z. Li, 2020. Wildfire Plume Particle Properties and Evolution, From Space-Based Multi-angle Imaging. Biomass Burning special issue, Remote Sens. 12, 769; doi:10.3390/rs12050769.

Junghenn Noyes, K.T., R.A. Kahn, J.A. Limbacher, Z. Li, M.A. Fenn, D.A. Giles, J.W. Hair, J.M. Katich, R.H. Moore, C.E. Robinson, K.J. Sanchez, T.J. Shingler, K.L. Thornhill, E.B. Wiggins, and E.L. Winstead, 2020. Wildfire Smoke Particle Properties and Evolution, From Space-Based Multi-Angle Imaging II: The Williams Flats Fire During the FIREX-AQ Campaign. Remote Sens. 12, 3823, doi:10.3390/rs12223823.

Junghenn Noyes, K.T., R.A. Kahn, J.A. Limbacher, and Z. Li, 2022. Canadian and Alaskan Wildfire Smoke Particle Properties, Their Evolution, and Controlling Factors, Using Satellite Observations. Atm. Chem. Phys. 22, 10267–10290, doi:10.5194/acp-22-10267-2022.

Junghenn Noyes, K.T., and R.A. Kahn, 2024.  Satellite Multi-angle Observations of Wildfire Smoke Plumes during the CalFiDE Field campaign: Aerosol Plume Heights, Particle Property Evolution, and Aging Timescales. J. Geophys. Res. 129, e2023JD039041, doi: 10.1029/2023JD039041.

Junghenn Noyes, K.T., and R.A. Kahn, 2025. Siberian wildfire smoke observations from space-based multi-angle imaging: A multi-year regional analysis of smoke particle properties, their evolution, and comparisons with North American Boreal fires. Atmosph. Chem. Phys. 25, 13879--13901, doi:10.5194/acp-25-13879-2025.

Related Instruments

Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) MISR views Earth with from nine different angles and acquires data in four wavelengths.