From: George Janson [georgej@uvb.nrel.colostate.edu]
Sent: September 1, 2004 11:42 AM
To: Hare,Ed [Ontario]
Subject: Alaska site -- wildfire smoke chronology


Ed --

Here's some clarification about the Alaska data for June, July, August 2004 and 
likely for the balance of the year until the snow flies up there -- the 
persistent wildfires have burned over 6 million acres (2.5 million hectares), 
the largest acreage since record keeping began, with PFRR and Fairbanks getting 
smoke no matter what direction the wind blows.  The data is valid, it's just 
seeing an excessive amount of smoke.


         Alaska UV-B site at Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR)

                   --- wildfire smoke chronology ---

Sunday 13 June 2004 -- lightning ignites Boundary Fire, ~26 miles east of PFRR

Tue-Wed 15-16 June -- annual site visit (exchange UV-MFRSR head)

Tuesday 22 June 2004 -- wind shift and increase from NE drives Boundary and Wolf 
Creek wildfires down valleys toward Fairbanks, filling air around PFRR and 
Fairbanks with heavy smoke

Tuesday 29 June -- Boundary Wildfire overruns PFRR

4-10 July -- smoke in PFRR / Fairbanks vicinity begins to clear out

10-23 July; 6-12 August; 16-23 August -- intense smoke episodes from new fires 
within 30 miles invades PFRR / Fairbanks areas, with residual smoke continuing 
to present, 1 September 2004


See attached image.

George