Andrew Tupper

Dear all,

Please see the attached question from Mike Fromm (NRL) about deep convection associated with the fires.  Mike is interested in smoke transport to high altitudes with deep convection.  Could anybody spare the time to comment on the situation during the fires, and in particular the presence of deep convection (does it need to be severe?)?

I've put his attached TOMS aerosol image at:
http://arist.edu.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/andrewt/events/FULLDAY_AERO.GIF
[Here it is .. JMcB):

(original TOMS data is at:
http://toms.gsfc.nasa.gov/aerosols/aerosols.html)

thanks, Andrew Tupper
PS - I'm interested in the same thing w.r.t. volcanic eruptions - please cc any comments to me. Thanks.

>Hello Andrew,
>
>You may not remember me but we exchanged emails last summer
>(your winter, I guess:)  I have been following the volcano group's
>email dialog with great interest, but I am writing for another reason.
>
>
>I have been following the fires that have been raging in Australia
>and the situation has become extreme, from my vantage point.
>TOMS aerosol index maps indicate that on and/or soon after
>Jan 18 there was a huge blowup.  Since Jan 18 the TOMS AI maps
>have shown intense blobs that have drifted FAR out to sea..see
>the attached map.  This usually indicates to me that the smoke is
>at a high altitude.  I'm writing to ask if you could refer me to someone
>who could provide information on the meteorology during the
>blowups.  In particular I'd like to find out if any severe convection
>accompanied the fires.
>
>Rene Servranckx and I are in the final  stages of getting a GRL published
>wherein
>we describe the explosive combination of fire, convection, and deep vertical
>transport of smoke.  In the near future we'll unveil some of these ideas
>and images
>to your email group.  Your current fire situation makes me wonder if what
>Rene and
>I are describing is also occurring now in your homeland.
>
>Any help or referrals you could provide would be much appreciated.

Andrew Tupper

Bureau of Meteorology, Northern Territory Regional Office, Australia.
Currently at: Faculty of Education, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan