Fig. 9: Smoke plume evolution and persistence in the stratosphere.

a Daily aerosol extinction profiles at 997 nm between 20°S and 90°S measured by OMPS LP from 01 December 2019 through 29 March 2021. The display is only for profiles in the stratosphere, measured at least 1 km above the mean tropopause altitude. b Zonally averaged aerosol extinction profiles at 997 nm, calculated for 2.5° latitude bands on 26 March 2020. The black line denotes the mean tropopause altitude and the white contours are mean potential temperature (K). The primary source of stratospheric aerosols in certain latitude bands is specified at the bottom.