INSPYRE
INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment
Background
By combining aircraft and ground-based observations with satellite data, INSPYRE researchers are working to improve our understanding of wildfire-driven storms, advance models that could help protect firefighters and communities, and provide data to refine atmospheric models.
Pyrocumulonimbus clouds (pyroCbs) that form over fire-driven storms can loft smoke directly into the stratosphere. The smoke may persist for several months or more, altering atmospheric chemistry, affecting downstream weather, and potentially contributing to ozone depletion.
Research Questions
Researchers with the INSPYRE mission will study the processes that cause pyroCbs to determine why some storms inject smoke higher than others, and to examine how smoke plumes evolve once they enter the upper atmosphere.
By combining airborne and ground-based measurements with satellite observations and modeling, INSPYRE will address three science questions:
- Which fires produce pyroCbs and why?
- What are the mechanisms that control when pyroCbs inject smoke directly into the stratosphere?
- How do pyroCb-injected smoke plumes modify the composition and radiation budget of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere?
Science in Action
During the 2026 wildfire season, INSPYRE researchers will deploy a host of remote sensing and air sampling instruments aboard NASA’s high-altitude ER-2 aircraft and the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Gulfstream V. In addition, the mission will gather data on pyroCbs with ground-based instruments and satellite observations. The researchers plan to observe a wide range of wildfire behavior, from small fires that create modest pyrocumulus clouds to large pyroCb-generating fires capable of injecting smoke into the stratosphere at levels comparable to volcanic eruptions.
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