Long-range transport pathways of intense wildfire plumes in the Northern Hemisphere observed by the IASI/METOP satellite mission

Wildfires emit significant greenhouse gases and pollutants. Extreme fires disperse smoke plumes over long distances, necessitating a deeper understanding of their source regions and variability. This study introduces a plume back trajectory algorithm using carbone monoxide (CO) and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) satellite observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) mission to analyse fire plumes in the extra-tropical northern hemisphere between June and October for the 2008-2023 period. The approach leverages daily satellite data for extensive spatial coverage with minimal computational effort to detect and track extreme fire plumes. In regions exhibiting intense fire activity (Boreal North America, Temperate North America, Eastern Boreal Asia) or located downwind (Atlantic, Europe), the average total column of CO and PAN increased between 2008-2023 and 2017-2023. The identification and analysis of plumes indicates that this increase is primarily driven by the larger spatial extent of the plumes, rather than by higher total CO and PAN within them. The IASI-based back trajectory algorithm reveals that 51% of plumes identified between June and October 2008-2023 originate from Boreal and Temperate North America and Eastern Boreal Asia. The number of plumes from these regions increased by between 28% and 47% between 2017 and 2023 in comparison to the 2008-2023 period. Europe and the Atlantic are particularly impacted by plumes from North America (45% of plumes observed in Europe). Despite limitations, this method effectively estimates CO and PAN plume trajectories and origins using satellite observations, providing a rapid tool for identifying pollution plume sources without complex models.