2026年7月29日，一架湾流V型科研飞机从科罗拉多州起飞，直接飞入俄勒冈州由野火引发的罕见火积雨云（pyroCb）中，标志着美国国家航空航天局（NASA）与美国海军研究实验室（NRL）联合开展的“注入烟尘与火积雨云实验”（INSPYRE）正式启动。野火燃烧产生的极端热量将水汽与浓烟迅速推入高空，形成的火积雨云不仅会抑制降雨，还会引发强雷电和狂风余烬，从而倍增火灾的破坏力并催生新的火点。随着全球野火规模与强度的加剧，2026年夏季美欧遭遇了史上最严重的野火季之一，法国甚至在7月首次记录到火积雨云现象。

火积雨云的破坏性远超地面范围，其强大的上升气流宛如巨型烟囱，将大量烟尘直接注入平流层。这些烟尘粒子通过吸收太阳辐射改变地球的辐射平衡，扰乱平流层环流，并通过颗粒表面的化学反应破坏臭氧层。在2019年底澳大利亚东南部为期四天的野火爆发期间，火积雨云向平流层低层注入了约100万吨烟尘，其规模相当于一次中等强度的火山喷发。了解火积雨云的形成触发机制、平流层注入通量以及烟尘对高层大气的长期气候影响，已成为当前大气与气候科学研究的核心紧迫课题。

为了全面破解火积雨云的演化规律，INSPYRE项目汇聚了约150名研究人员，构建了天地一体化的多维协同监测网络。地面团队利用搭载激光雷达、雷达与气象气球的探测车监测云层底部，湾流V型飞机直接穿入云团内部采集气体与微粒样本，而NASA特制的ER-2高空探测飞机则在平流层约10公里高度巡航以追踪扩散的烟羽。继7月29日首飞和8月3日成功采集犹他州另一场火积雨云的烟羽样本后，科研团队计划以每周约三次的频率持续飞行采样至9月，旨在为前线消防扑救提供更精准的极端天气预警，并深化对野火与气候相互作用的科学认知。

On July 29th, a specialized Gulfstream V research aircraft departed Colorado to fly directly into a rare pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) storm over Oregon, inaugurating the INSPYRE mission jointly operated by NASA and the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). PyroCbs form when extreme wildfire heat drives intense updrafts of moisture and smoke, creating towering storm clouds that inhibit rainfall while generating lightning and ferocious winds that ignite new fires and amplify disaster severity. Amid escalating global wildfire intensity, the summer of 2026 has witnessed unprecedented fire conditions across North America and Europe, with France recording its first-ever pyroCb event in July.

Beyond ground destruction, pyroCbs act as high-altitude atmospheric chimneys, propelling massive quantities of smoke directly into the stratosphere where particulate plumes linger extensively. These stratospheric particles absorb solar radiation, alter atmospheric currents, and catalyze chemical reactions that deplete the protective ozone layer. A striking historical example occurred in late 2019, when a four-day wildfire outbreak in southeastern Australia generated pyroCbs that injected roughly 1m tonnes of smoke into the lower stratosphere—an aerosol volume comparable to a moderate volcanic eruption. Quantifying how these fire-driven storms alter Earth’s radiative balance remains a primary objective of modern atmospheric science.

To untangle these dynamics, the INSPYRE initiative coordinates a 150-researcher team utilizing multi-tiered observation platforms: ground mobile units deploy radar, lidar, and weather balloons beneath the storm base; the Gulfstream V penetrates the dense core to collect in-situ cloud samples; and NASA’s ER-2 high-altitude aircraft cruises at approximately 10km altitude in the stratosphere to monitor spreading plumes. Following successful sampling flights in Oregon and a subsequent Utah pyroCb on August 3rd, the research team is conducting flights roughly three times per week through September, aiming to provide predictive meteorological modeling for frontline firefighters while elucidating the broader climatic impacts of wildfire storms.

Source: NASA takes aim at fire storms

Subtitle: These products of wildfires worsen their creators

Dateline: 8月 13, 2026 05:14 上午