Long‐Range Transport Pathways of Intense Wildfire Plumes in the Northern Hemisphere Observed by the IASI/METOP Satellite Mission

Abstract 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 carbon monoxide (CO) and peroxyacetyl nitrate satellite observations from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) mission to analyze 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. The detection of extreme events is validated using IAGOS CO data and the estimated plume origin is compared with FLEXPART back‐trajectories. In regions exhibiting intense fire activity (Boreal North America, Temperate North America, Eastern Boreal Asia (EBOAS)) or located downwind (North Atlantic, Europe), the average total column of CO and PAN increased between 2008–2023 and 2017–2023. The identification and analysis of plumes indicate 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 EBOAS. The number of plumes from these regions increased by up to 47 % between 2017 and 2023 in comparison to 2008–2023. 45 % of plumes observed in Europe come from North America. Despite limitations, this method effectively estimates CO + PAN plume trajectories and origins using satellite observations, providing a rapid tool for identifying pollution plume sources.