Papers
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Total Citations
48
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About
Lucas Paulien is a rising figure in atmospheric science, whose work centers on the optical properties of wildfire smoke and its long-range transport in the stratosphere. His major contribution lies in challenging conventional assumptions about particle shape in remote sensing. In his highly cited 2020 study, “Is the near-spherical shape the ‘new black’ for smoke?” (48 citations), Paulien demonstrated that near-spherical particles can accurately reproduce the triple-wavelength particle linear depolarization ratio and lidar ratio values observed in stratospheric smoke from Canadian wildfires over Europe. This finding has significant implications for improving lidar-based aerosol classification and climate modeling. By showing that smoke particles need not be irregular to match field measurements, Paulien has helped refine how researchers interpret satellite and ground-based lidar data. His work bridges laboratory theory with real-world observations, offering a more nuanced understanding of how wildfire emissions evolve in the upper atmosphere. For students and researchers in aerosol optics and atmospheric remote sensing, Paulien’s research provides a critical framework for rethinking particle morphology in smoke plumes, with direct applications to climate forcing assessments and air quality monitoring.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
- 1Is the near-spherical shape the “new black” for smoke?48 citations · 2020