Lofting, in atmospheric sciences, refers to the vertical transport of aerosols, gases, or other tracers from near-surface or lower atmospheric layers into higher altitudes via buoyant plumes, convection, or dynamical lifting mechanisms. It commonly occurs in association with intense heating sources (e.g., wildfires, volcanic eruptions, or strong surface sensible heat fluxes) that generate thermals and updrafts, as well as frontal systems and orographic forcing. Lofting modifies vertical concentration profiles, facilitates long-range transport in the free troposphere or lower stratosphere, and strongly influences radiative forcing, cloud microphysics, and chemical transformation pathways of atmospheric constituents.
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