Project:	MISR Plume Height Project 2025 (JPL AO No. 16084)
Disciplines:	Earth Science, Atmospheric Physics
Mentor:	Marcin Witek, (JPL), Marcin.L.Witek@jpl.nasa.gov, Phone: (818) 354-0250
Background:	Wildfires and biomass burning are important natural phenomena that affect local ecology, air quality, and climate. They occur worldwide, with notable hotspots in regions such as the Western U.S., Australia, the Amazon rainforest, and the Mediterranean. To study wildfires, researchers use a combination of satellite imagery, field observations, and computational models. Specifically, satellite data provide large-scale, often real-time monitoring of fire locations, intensity, and spread. Such advanced wildfire and smoke plume mapping is critical for improving our understanding of biomass burning and its representation in air quality and climate models. The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) aboard NASA's Terra satellite measures atmospheric and surface properties with nine cameras viewing at different angles. These multiple views allow the height and motion vectors of clouds and smoke plumes to be retrieved using stereoscopic methods. MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) is used to visualize MISR data and to analyze properties of smoke plumes. MINX enables users to interactively digitize smoke plumes and retrieve heights and winds of plumes, aerosol properties, and the radiative power of the fires associated with plumes. Some of the steps involved in plume digitization include resolving the spatial overlap of plumes and clouds, determining the direction(s) of plume motion, distinguishing wind-corrected plume heights from terrain heights, and assessing if retrieved heights and winds are reasonable for local conditions. Since 2007, the MISR team has been digitizing wildfire plumes in North America and other parts of the World. MINX plume digitization has also been successfully applied to dust and volcanic plumes. To date, more than 50,000 smoke plumes have been digitized by many MISR science team members and student interns. The MINX plume dataset has been extensively utilized by researchers and modelers alike, being instrumental in improving representation of wildfires in numerical model.
Description:	The MISR Plume Project has digitized smoke plume observed by MISR around the world for 2008 – 2011 as well as the summers (June, July, August) of 2017 and 2018. In this AO we will focus on digitizing recent smoke plumes from Canadian wildfires in 2023 and Amazonian fires in 2024. Furthermore, we will work towards completing a time series of wildfire digitization over the United States. In addition, students will be involved in any research activities and discussions related to the digitized plumes and the MISR Plume Project in general. Work plan. Interns will participate in three days of training to become familiar with the MISR instrument and its data products, to learn to use MINX effectively and to learn how to cope with data interpretation complexities. After training, they will be provided with a Mac desktop computer and a set of data to interpret and digitize. The digitizing process will be accomplished entirely at the computer using the mouse to circumscribe plume polygons, to specify the direction of smoke transport and to note unusual or interesting scenes. Interaction with a supervisor will be available whenever needed. In addition to the primary task, associated tasks such as ordering MISR data products from the Langley DAAC (Distributed Active Archive Center) and participating in project teleconferences may be required. Please email Marcin Witek at marcin.l.witek@jpl.nasa.gov to apply.
References:	http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/ https://webfiles.uci.edu/ychen17/www/publications/Nelson et al-2008-SPIE.pdf http://www.openchannelsoftware.com/projects/MINX http://misr.jpl.nasa.gov/getData/accessData/MisrMinxPlumes/
Student Requirements:	Basic computer skills (Mac, Linux). Knowledge of and interest in basic earth science/climate processes is encouraged.
Location / Safety:	Project building and/or room locations: . Student will need special safety training: .
Programs:	This AO can be done under the following programs:   Program    Available To        SURF@JPL    both Caltech and non-Caltech students  Click on a program name for program info and application requirements.