Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Did you know that not only can the weather impact wildfires, but that wildfires can also impact the weather? Hot and dry air, combined with a lack of moisture in trees, grasses, or shrubs, are prime conditions to fuel wildfires. Once they begin to burn, wildfires emit gases and particles from the burning biomass, known as aerosols, directly into our atmosphere. Here, these aerosols can then interact with other gases and particles in ways that can affect cloud formation, precipitation, and our climate system. This complex dynamic between wildfires and weather is an active area of research, resulting in different weather pattern changes for different regions worldwide.
In this NCAR Explorer Series Conversation, Dr. Osinachi Ajoku of Howard University and Dr. Rebecca Buchholz of NCAR’s Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling (ACOM) Laboratory discuss the intersection between weather and wildfires. Join us to learn how particulate matter from wildfires in Sub-Saharan Africa can determine the amount of cloud and rainfall in the region and beyond.
Learn more on the NCAR Explorer Series website: https://edec.ucar.edu/public/ncar-explorer-series
Did you know that not only can the weather impact wildfires, but that wildfires can also impact the weather? Hot and dry air, combined with a lack of moisture in trees, grasses, or shrubs, are prime conditions to fuel wildfires. Once they begin to burn, wildfires emit gases and particles from the burning biomass, known as aerosols, directly into our atmosphere. Here, these aerosols can then interact with other gases and particles in ways that can affect cloud formation, precipitation, and our climate system. This complex dynamic between wildfires and weather is an active area of research, resulting in different weather pattern changes for different regions worldwide.
In this NCAR Explorer Series Conversation, Dr. Osinachi Ajoku of Howard University and Dr. Rebecca Buchholz of NCAR’s Atmospheric Chemistry Observations and Modeling (ACOM) Laboratory discuss the intersection between weather and wildfires. Join us to learn how particulate matter from wildfires in Sub-Saharan Africa can determine the amount of cloud and rainfall in the region and beyond.
Learn more on the NCAR Explorer Series website: https://edec.ucar.edu/public/ncar-explorer-series
