Sensitivities of simulated fire-induced flows to fire shape and background wind profile using a cloud-resolving model
Wildland fire behavior can be very difficult to predict because of inherent non-linearities and multi-scale processes associated with fire-atmosphere interactions. Circulations and complex flows in the vicinity of a fire are driven by heat release from the fire. Since extreme conditions in the fire environment make collecting meteorological observations difficult, we employ a high-resolution numerical model to simulate the atmospheric responses to a fire. Specifically, we have chosen Cloud Model 1 (CM1) because it is designed to simulate high resolution, cloud scale processes that are comparable in scale to fire-induced flows. A surface sensible heat flux is added to CM1 to simulate the effect of a fire and the resultant fire-induced circulations and complex flows are examined. Using CM1 allows us to produce simulations with fine spatial and temporal resolution with a detailed representation of the evolution of the fire-atmosphere system. For the purpose of this study, we perform a series of simulations to examine the sensitivity of fire-induced flows to the shape of the simulated fire and to background wind profile. We show how fire shape and the background wind profile affect the intensity and extent of fire-induced perturbations to the lower atmosphere. The results from these numerical simulations, when combined with field observations, help improve our understanding of fire-atmosphere interactions. The results from this study can potentially help fire managers with decision-making when fighting wildland fires.
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- In Collections
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Electronic Theses & Dissertations
- Copyright Status
- In Copyright
- Material Type
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Theses
- Authors
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Stageberg, Marshall S.
- Thesis Advisors
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Zhong, Shiyuan
- Committee Members
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Charney, Joseph J.
Luo, Lifeng
- Date
- 2018
- Program of Study
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Geography - Master of Science
- Degree Level
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Masters
- Language
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English
- Pages
- xii, 61 pages
- ISBN
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9780355932386
0355932385
- Permalink
- https://doi.org/doi:10.25335/95mw-k214