Impact of wildfires on stratospheric aerosol composition and dynamics from ground-based and satellite lidars

^(a) LATMOS, CNRS, Sorbonne Université/UVSQ, Guyancourt, France, E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
^(b) Meteorological Research Institute (MRI-JMA), Tsukuba, Japan
^(c) National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Lauder, New Zealand
^(d) National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Tsukuba, Japan

Published online: 9 April 2026

Abstract

The severity of wildfires has remarkably increased over the last decade in both hemispheres and there is an emerging realization of their effect on climate and ozone layer via stratospheric emissions. Here we exploit a synergy of satellite and ground-based lidar observations to characterize the stratospheric impact of major wildfire outbreaks in terms of bulk aerosol composition change and generation of self-lofting smoke-charged vortices (SCV). We use long-term lidar observations at Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP) (Southern France) and Lauder (New Zealand) to constrain the magnitude and longevity of smoke aerosols in the stratosphere. The CALIOP satellite lidar observations of backscatter and depolarization are used to characterize the evolution of smoke plumes' optical properties and to contrast them with those of volcanic plumes.