WASHINGTON, D.C. - As wildfires grow more intense and frequent across the globe, scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) are working to better understand a rare but powerful byproduct of these blazes: pyrocumulonimbus clouds, or pyroCbs.
“These are thunderstorms that develop directly over large and intense wildfires,” said David Peterson, Ph.D., a meteorologist with NRL. “They act like giant chimneys, rapidly accelerating smoke particles high into the atmosphere. They’re among the darkest, dirtiest storm clouds you’ll ever see.”
Unlike typical thunderstorms, pyroCbs can inject smoke into the upper atmosphere, potentially altering weather patterns, reducing visibility, and interfering with operations critical to U.S. military readiness.
“Sometimes that smoke can reach the lower stratosphere,” Peterson said. “This can affect how solar radiation is absorbed or reflected and creates a significant gap in our forecasting capabilities.”
To address that gap, NRL and NASA have teamed up to launch a new field experiment: the
Injected Smoke and Pyrocumulonimbus Experiment known as INSPYRE. Led by NRL and funded by NASA, INSPYRE is a multi-year collaborative effort aimed at improving predictive weather modeling through detailed analysis of wildfire-induced atmospheric behavior.
“Reliable weather forecasting is essential for effective mission planning,” Peterson said. “The work we do at NRL focuses specifically on atmospheric hazards that impact warfighters, especially aerosol particles like wildfire smoke and their effects on radiation and visibility.”
INSPYRE will collect data on how and where smoke plumes travel, and at what altitudes, with the goal of enhancing models that inform Department of Defense operations and disaster response.
“It’s a project where many different groups will benefit,” said Peterson. “We’re proud to be at the center of this critical research. It’s an exciting time for all of us at NRL.”
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL, located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or
nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil. Please reference package number at top of press release.
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