This colloquium discusses the air quality impacts of western U.S. wildfires and introduce the Western Wildfire Experiment for Cloud Chemistry, Aerosol Absorption and Nitrogen (WE-CAN). The WE-CAN project deployed the NCAR/NSF C-130 research aircraft in summer 2018 (22 July – 31 August) to sample wildfire smoke during its first day of atmospheric evolution. The flight plans and aircraft payload were designed to answer scientific questions related to fixed nitrogen, absorbing aerosols, cloud activation and chemistry in wildfire plumes. More details on the project timeline and payload can be found here.
Emily Fischer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. Her research group works on many different aspects of atmospheric composition using a variety of tools including in situ observations, models, and new satellite products. She also leads a number of initiatives to make science more inclusive and welcoming.
Emily V. Fischer, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Atmospheric Science
Colorado State University