Atmosphere and Fire Interactions
Research and Engineering (AirFire) Team
2008 Science Accomplishments
Smoke forecasts used to alert public
 Smoke forecasts help protect the public's health. Credit: Tom Iraci The station and its partners provided smoke predictions for the October 2007 wildland fires in southern California. Using the BlueSky smoke modeling framework developed in part by station scientists, the group provided daily 48-hour forecasts of surface smoke concentrations. Fire management officers, incident commanders, and public health officials used these forecasts to much success. In July 2008, the team was asked to provide similar support for fires in northern California.
The smoke and fire weather predictions were used extensively by fire management personnel and public health officials in California. They were also used in briefings to Forest Service leadership and the Presidential Cabinet.
The station and its partners also are providing fire weather model predictions for meteorologists with the Incident Command System and others. Working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), AirFire has deployed five smoke monitors in northern California as part of a Joint Fire Science Program (JSFP) project. The monitoring locations are providing data for the JFSP project, additional CARB monitors, and public health officials.
Outcome:California fire managers and public health officials use station's smoke and fire weather predictions.
Partners: Desert Research Institute; Sonoma Technologies Inc.; USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and Washington office State and Private Forestry Fire and Aviation Management
To learn more, contact Narasimhan Larkin at larkin@fs.fed.us.
Tool: Air Quality Impacts Planning Tool (AQUIPT)
Description: The AQUIPT is designed to help land managers predict the probable impact of smoke from a potential fire, planned or unplanned. It combines the historical weather data of the North American Regional Reanalysis with the Fuel Characteristics Classification System and the BlueSky Framework. Users are able to enter their burn prescription parameters (e.g., maximum and minimum relative humidity, maximum windspeed, and time of year) and AQUIPT will provide a statistical summary of the potential smoke impacts. This summary includes maps showing average release of fine particulate matter, probability of a location experiencing a significant impact, or maximum release of fine particulate matter produced by all historical episodes meeting the specified conditions. The AQUIPT can also model other nonfire sources of air pollution including industrial emissions and dairy farms.
How to Get It: Contact Narasimhan Larkin at larkin@fs.fed.us.
Tool: BlueSky framework, version 3
Function: The BlueSky smoke modeling framework forecasts smoke concentrations and trajectories, including the cumulative effects of smoke from multiple wildfires and prescribed fires, long-distance smoke movements, and smoke movement over a 24- to 48-hour period. Version 3 can be used as a modular system that incorporates the most common fire consumption, emissions, plume rise, and dispersion models. By integrating SMARTFIRE output, it also includes better fire location and size information. The framework computer code was completely overhauled to allow users to integrate custom modules or models and adjust parameter settings.
Use: The SMARTFIRE component of BlueSky version 3 has been positively received by representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, and the National Interagency Coordination Center, among others. The version 3 rewrite also led directly to the Smoke and Emissions Modeling Intercomparison Project funded by the Joint Fire Science Program, and is being examined for use in other science areas including fuels treatment and effects.
Contact: Robert Solomon at robertsolomon@fs.fed.us.
How to get it: http://getbluesky.org/ |
