We get our share of wildfire smoke hanging in the air over the course of the dry season around here. But it turns out not all wildfire smoke is created equal. There are differences in what burns, to be sure, but then smoke goes through physical and chemical changes as it drifts away from the fire that created it.
Aerial surveys--yes, a plane loaded with instruments flew through smoke plumes--gave scientists a better idea of what's in the smoke, and where.
Brett Palm and Joel Thornton at the University of Washington are members of the research team; they explain what the plane picked up, and how it helps us plan our responses to smoke events.