April 16, 2009
Wide smoke plume over the Gulf of Mexico due to Central American fires heading inland
Today’s EPA AIRNow PM2.5 map (top, left) shows mostly “good” air conditions over the country. Some “moderate” conditions can be seen in central US. The ozone levels are also mostly “good” to the exception of southern Florida that record “moderate” air quality.
The MODIS TERRA AOD map (top, right) as well as the GASP AOD image show strong light extinction values over the Gulf of Mexico. This was most probably caused by smoke from the Central American fires discussed earlier this week. A closer look at the MODIS TERRA RGB image (bottom, left) shows, in deed, a wide spread smoke plume that stretches from Guatemala, across Mexico up to the Mexican Gulf coast. The HMS map (bottom, right) confirms the presence of numerous fires burning in Central America. According to the 48-hour winds and precipitation NOAA forecast model, the smoke plume is predicted to drift further inland. The “moderate” PM2.5 level recorded in southern Texas could already be due to this smoke event.
The HMS map also shows a concentration of fires in Kansas and Oklahoma. This could be the reason for strong light extinction values on today’s MODIS TERRA AOD map over the two same states.
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