Atmospheric Transports of Wildfire Smoke from Moscow and Surrounding Regions in 2010 Summer

Forest wildfires have become a growing concern due to their significant effects on regional climate and air quality. In the summer of 2010, intense forest wildfires lasting for about one month occurred in Moscow and its surround regions and caused serious air pollutions. Wildfire smoke spiraled upward over western Russia and then dispersed in the atmosphere in three directions of northwestern, eastern and southern. Smoke transported a long range in the tropospheric atmosphere finally covered vast areas including western Russia and Central Asia, and part of Asian Russia, eastern Europe and Scandinavia Peninsula. Moscow and its surrounding regions was most important potential sink influenced by smoke outflows. Some smoke arrived in the Arctic and Northeast China, which would impact local climate changes.