WILDLAND FIRE IS LARGELY UNDER THE CONTROL OF WEATHER AND CLIMATE AND EXTREME FIRES ARE INCREASING COMPELLING US TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FUELS FIRE WEATHER ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND SMOKE TRANSPORT WHICH ARE CRITICAL TO UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS ON AIR QUALITY ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND CLIMATE. IN A DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE FIRECHEM CALL WE PROPOSE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO GUIDE FLIGHT PLANNING THAT INCLUDES: (1) PREPARE PRECAMPAIGN INTELLIGENCE ON LOCATIONS WHERE CROPLAND PRESCRIBED AND WILDLAND FIRES ARE EXPECTED; (2) PROVIDE SATELLITE AND GROUND-BASED NEAR-REAL-TIME OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETATION OF FIRE ACTIVITY AND SMOKE EXTENT; (3) PROVIDE FIRE WEATHER AS AN INDICATOR OF ACTIVE FIRE CONTINUANCE; (4) PROVIDE THE LOCATION OF AREAS WITH THE BEST CHARACTERIZED FUELS; (5) PROVIDE INTELLIGENCE ON ACTIONED AND EXPERIMENTAL FIRES; (6) PROVIDE THE LOCATIONS AND TIMING OF PLANNED PRESCRIPTION AND/OR CROPLAND FIRES; AND (7) PREPARE DAILY REPORTS FOR FLIGHT PLANNING AND SUMMARY SYNOPSIS REPORTS OF THE FIRES SAMPLED DURING THE CAMPAIGN. ALSO WE PROPOSE TO USE THE DATA AND INFORMATION COLLECTED PARTICULARLY ON SMALL CROPLAND AND PRESCRIBED BURNS TO ANALYZE THE CAPABILITY OF SATELLITES TO CHARACTERIZE THESE FIRES. TOGETHER OUR PROPOSED WORK ADDRESSES 3 OF THE 4 FIRECHEM NEEDS STATED IN THE WHITE PAPER: (2) PREDICTION OF SMALL FIRE ACTIVITY. ARE THERE ORGANIZED PLANS FOR BURNING? WHEN ARE FIRES EXPECTED TO START? WHERE ARE CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO BURNING? CAN GOES PROVIDE GUIDANCE OR UPDATES ON BURNING PROGRESS?; (3) CONNECTION TO GROUND CONDITIONS. GATHERING INFORMATION ON FUEL CONDITIONS FIRE BEHAVIOR DURATION FRACTION OF FUEL BURNED ETC.; AND (4) ADVICE ON SELECTION OF FIRES TO TARGET. WHICH FIRE IS LIKELY TO YIELD MORE INFORMATION? WE BELIEVE THE BASE INFORMATION THAT WILL BE PROVIDED BY THIS PROJECT IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE AND DEFINE THE VARIABILITY IN EMISSIONS OF GASES AEROSOLS AND AEROSOL PRECURSORS AS THEY RELATE TO SPECIFIC FIRES (SIZE CLASS SURFACE INTERMITTENT CROWN) IN UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS AND FUEL TYPES UNDER A VARIETY OF FIRE-WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE FIRE RELEVANT DATA PRODUCED BY OUR TEAM IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEVANT TO THE COMPOSITION AND INJECTION HEIGHT OF PLUMES AIR QUALITY AND CHEMISTRY AND THE IMPACT OF BIOMASS BURNING ON CLIMATE-RELEVANT PROPERTIES. WE ANTICIPATE SMOKE COMPOSITION WILL BE VARIABLE DEPENDENT ON FUEL TYPE AMOUNT STRUCTURE COMBUSTION ENVIRONMENT (SPECIFICALLY THOSE RELATED TO FLAMING VS SMOLDERING COMBUSTION) AND ANTECEDENT WEATHER FACTORS. THESE BASE DATA ARE CRITICAL TO ADDRESSING RESEARCH QUESTIONS RELATED TO TROPOSPHERIC SAMPLING TO DISTINGUISH DIFFERENCES FROM AIRCRAFT AND SPACE-BASED OBSERVATIONS AND INTERPRETING THE DEGREE TO WHICH THESE DIFFERENCES IMPACT REGIONAL AND GLOBAL AIR QUALITY AND CLIMATE. OUR TEAM IS WELL POSITION TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WORK WITH EXPERTISE IN WORKING WITH: FIRES (ENTIRE TEAM) SATELLITE DATA (SOJA MCCARTY HUDAK) FUELS (ENTIRE TEAM) FIRE WEATHER (SOJA HUDAK) CROPLANDS (MCCARTY) PRESCRIBED BURNING (HIERS) AND WESTERN FIRES (HUDAK). OUR TEAM IS ALREADY INTERACTIVE WITH THE COMBINED INTERAGENCY CAMPAIGNS AND OUR COLLABORATORS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED.