What do the Thin, Moderately Dense and Dense Analyzed smoke Layers represent and how are they determined?
A. These are subjectively drawn smoke plumes of various densities as determined from visible satellite imagery. They are intended to provide a distinction between the different densities of smoke within a plume and a rough estimate of the smoke concentration in micrograms per cubic meter. No inference should be made between the density of the smoke and the level of the atmosphere at which the smoke is occurring. Thin smoke plumes approximately represent smoke concentrations between 1 and 10.5 micrograms/m3, moderately dense between 10.5 and 21.5 micrograms/m3 and dense smoke above 21.5 micrograms/m3. The determination of smoke density is aided in part by using the automated GOES Aerosol and Smoke Product (GASP) for reference. A link to this product is at http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/GASP/gasp.html.
