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 Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 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 Project, 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.

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