North Central Research Station

Dr. Yuh-Lang Lin (yl_lin@ncsu.edu), Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; Dr. Michael L. Kaplan (mlkaplan@unity.ncsu.edu), Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; Dr. Joseph J. Charney (jcharney@fs.fed.us), USDA Forest Service, East Lansing, MI.

Purpose:   Develop a predictive index that is designed to account for fire-spread intensity, focusing on atmospheric conditions that can lead to erratic, blowup fires.

Objectives:

1. Use a coupled fire-atmospheric simulation model for a series of initial idealized simulation sensitivity studies starting with a spectrum of vertical wind shear and stratified atmospheric states.
2. Employ the simulation results to test a series of concepts to form the basis for an erratic fire spread predictive index, including modifying existing fire-atmosphere interaction indices and incorporating aspects of turbulence potential indices.