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Analysis of methods for assimilating fire perimeters into a coupled fire-atmosphere model

Authors :
Adam K. Kochanski
Kathleen Clough
Angel Farguell
Derek V. Mallia
Jan Mandel
Kyle Hilburn
Source :
Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, Vol 6 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023.

Abstract

Correctly initializing the fire within coupled fire-atmosphere models is critical for producing accurate forecasts of meteorology near the fire, as well as the fire growth, and plume evolution. Improperly initializing the fire in a coupled fire-atmosphere model can introduce forecast errors that can impact wind circulations surrounding the fire and updrafts along the fire front. A well-constructed fire initialization process must be integrated within coupled fire-atmosphere models to ensure that the atmospheric component of the model does not become numerically unstable due to excessive heat fluxes released during the ignition, and that realistic fire-induced atmospheric circulations are established at the model initialization time. The primary objective of this study is to establish an effective fire initialization method in a coupled fire-atmosphere model, based on the analysis of the impact of the initialization procedure on the model’s ability to resolve fire-atmosphere circulations and fire growth. Here, we test three different fire initialization approaches leveraging the FireFlux II experimental fire, which provides a comprehensive suite of observations of the pyroconvective column, local micrometeorology, and fire characteristics. The two most effective fire initialization methods identified using the FireFlux II case study are then tested on the 380,000-acre Creek Fire, which burned across the central Sierra Nevada mountains during the 2020 Western U.S. wildfire season. For this case study, simulated pyroconvection and fire progression are evaluated using plume top height observations from MISR and airborne fire perimeter data, to assess the effectiveness of different initialization methods in the context of establishing pyroconvection and resolving the fire growth. The analyses of both the experimental fire simulation and the wildfire simulation indicate that the spin-up initialization method based on historical fire progression that masks out inactive fire regions provides the best results in terms of resolving the fire-induced vertical circulation and fire progression.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2624893X
Volume :
6
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Frontiers in Forests and Global Change
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5af9c2bd061e4cd9ab2bd64bcffe0c26
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2023.1203578