![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/images\/2020\/01\/200119_200124_goes16_nearInfraredCirrus_Australian_fire_smoke_South_Pacific_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GOES-16 Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.37 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, 19-24 January 2019 [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.37 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images during the 19-24 January 2019 period (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed a semi-circular pall of smoke that originated from Australian bushfires\u00a0 — outbreaks of pyrocumulonimbus clouds that occurred in late December 2019<\/strong><\/a> and early January 2020<\/strong><\/a> injected large amounts of smoke into the lower stratosphere, and this smoke drifted eastward across the South Pacific Ocean. The 1.37 \u00b5m spectral band does a good job at detecting light scattered by airborne particles such as ice crystals, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, etc.; the areal extent of the smoke was most apparent approaching sunset on each day, due to enhanced forward scattering.<\/p>\n CALIPSO satellite CALIOP lidar data indicated that this smoke often resided at altitudes in the 18-24 km range — one example from 21 January can be seen here<\/strong><\/a>. 12-hourly GOES-16 Cirrus images with plots of GFS model 70 hPa wind barbs during the 20-24 January 2019 period (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed that winds at the 70 hPa pressure level were generally light.<\/p>\n GOES-16 Near-Infrared “Cirrus” (1.37 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with plots of GFS model 70 hPa wind barbs (knots),<\/em> 20-24 January 2019 [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>As the stratospheric smoke feature was beginning to move over the Punta Arena, Chile area (station identifier SCCI),<\/em> rawinsonde data<\/strong><\/a> from that site indicated that the wind speed at 70 hPa (18.5 km) was 18 knots (below)<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/a>