Ground based sampling of pyrogenic emissions from

In order to fully understand the impact of pyrogenic emissions it is necessary to have a good understanding of the microphysics of clouds. Cloud formation and the aerosol emissions from wildfires are intimately connected. By understanding these interactions it is possible to investigate the role aerosols play in precipitation processes and the radiation budget. Of extreme importance are the aerosol particle size distributions produced as a result of wildfires and biomass burning. Using the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) it was possible to sample pyrogenic emissions from the Big Elk Fire, Estes Park, CO. The SMPS system is transportable and was brought to a specific site to sample air downwind of the Big Elk Fire. This is the first study analyzing condensation nuclei size distributions obtained from Colorado wildfires as a result of ground based field work. By sampling air downwind of the fire it was possible to obtain both clean air and smoky air samples. High variability in wind speed and direction allowed for sampling of air containing various levels of CN. Smoke samples had consistently higher concentrations of particles, especially in the smallest size range detectible by the SMPS (approximately 0.012-0.025µm). These findings are consistent with other aerial based studies. Aerosol science is particularly interested in the size distributions of particles produced from suc