Researchers at Harvard University have lofted a sensor-packed balloon 15-20 kilometers above Earth to spot wildfires sooner and track their heat and smoke with unprecedented clarity.

The system is sharper and more persistent than standard satellites. In a trial over a controlled burn, the stratospheric platform measured fire radiative power and mapped smoke plumes, data that feed directly into climate and air-quality models.

Led by Frank Keutsch, the Stonington Professor of Engineering and Atmospheric Science, the team says the real-time imagery and forecasts could soon be relayed to vulnerable communities, providing earlier warnings and more accurate predictions as climate change drives ever-larger blazes.

This research is supported with a seed grant from the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University.