Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire
<p>The ambient atmospheric environment affects the growth and spread of wildland fires, whereas heat and moisture released from the fires and the reduction of the surface drag in the burned areas can significantly alter local atmospheric conditions. Observational studies on fire–atmosphere int...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/1119/2024/acp-24-1119-2024.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797345738956472320 |
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| author | J. Seitz S. Zhong J. J. Charney W. E. Heilman K. L. Clark X. Bian N. S. Skowronski M. R. Gallagher M. Patterson J. Cole M. T. Kiefer R. Hadden E. Mueller |
| author_facet | J. Seitz S. Zhong J. J. Charney W. E. Heilman K. L. Clark X. Bian N. S. Skowronski M. R. Gallagher M. Patterson J. Cole M. T. Kiefer R. Hadden E. Mueller |
| author_sort | J. Seitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The ambient atmospheric environment affects the growth and spread of wildland fires, whereas heat and moisture released from the fires and the reduction of the surface drag in the burned areas can significantly alter local atmospheric conditions. Observational studies on fire–atmosphere interactions have used instrumented towers to collect data during prescribed fires, but a few towers in an operational-scale burn plot (usually <span class="inline-formula">></span> 10<span class="inline-formula"><sup>3</sup></span> <span class="inline-formula">m<sup>2</sup></span>) have made it extremely challenging to capture the myriad of factors controlling fire–atmosphere interactions, many of which exhibit strong spatial variability. Here, we present analyses of atmospheric turbulence data collected using a 4 <span class="inline-formula">×</span> 4 array of fast-response sonic anemometers during a fire experiment on a 10 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> <span class="inline-formula">×</span> 10 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> burn plot. In addition to confirming some of the previous findings on atmospheric turbulence associated with low-intensity surface fires, our results revealed substantial heterogeneity in turbulent intensity and heat and momentum fluxes just above the combustion zone. Despite the small plot (100 <span class="inline-formula">m<sup>2</sup></span>), fire-induced atmospheric turbulence exhibited strong dependence on the downwind distance from the initial line fire and the relative position specific to the fire front as the surface fire spread through the burn plot. This result highlights the necessity for coupled atmosphere–fire behavior models to have 1–2 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> grid spacing to resolve heterogeneities in fire–atmosphere interactions that operate on spatiotemporal scales relevant to atmospheric turbulence. The findings here have important implications for modeling smoke dispersion, as atmospheric dispersion characteristics in the vicinity of a wildland fire are directly affected by fire-induced turbulence.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:21:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9d6d9f7238049a58ab646a8d80f8ff0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:21:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
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| series | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9d6d9f7238049a58ab646a8d80f8ff02024-01-26T06:50:11ZengCopernicus PublicationsAtmospheric Chemistry and Physics1680-73161680-73242024-01-01241119114210.5194/acp-24-1119-2024Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fireJ. Seitz0S. Zhong1J. J. Charney2W. E. Heilman3K. L. Clark4X. Bian5N. S. Skowronski6M. R. Gallagher7M. Patterson8J. Cole9M. T. Kiefer10R. Hadden11E. Mueller12Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USADepartment of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 2601 Coolidge Rd., Suite 203, East Lansing, MI 48910, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 2601 Coolidge Rd., Suite 203, East Lansing, MI 48910, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Silas Little Experimental Forest, 501 Four Mile Road, New Lisbon, NJ 08064, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 2601 Coolidge Rd., Suite 203, East Lansing, MI 48910, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 180 Canfield Street, Morgantown, WV 26505, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Silas Little Experimental Forest, 501 Four Mile Road, New Lisbon, NJ 08064, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 180 Canfield Street, Morgantown, WV 26505, USAUSDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 5 Moon Library, 1 Forestry Dr., Syracuse, NY 13210, USADepartment of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Rd. East Lansing, MI 48824, USACivil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FB, UKNational Institutes of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA<p>The ambient atmospheric environment affects the growth and spread of wildland fires, whereas heat and moisture released from the fires and the reduction of the surface drag in the burned areas can significantly alter local atmospheric conditions. Observational studies on fire–atmosphere interactions have used instrumented towers to collect data during prescribed fires, but a few towers in an operational-scale burn plot (usually <span class="inline-formula">></span> 10<span class="inline-formula"><sup>3</sup></span> <span class="inline-formula">m<sup>2</sup></span>) have made it extremely challenging to capture the myriad of factors controlling fire–atmosphere interactions, many of which exhibit strong spatial variability. Here, we present analyses of atmospheric turbulence data collected using a 4 <span class="inline-formula">×</span> 4 array of fast-response sonic anemometers during a fire experiment on a 10 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> <span class="inline-formula">×</span> 10 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> burn plot. In addition to confirming some of the previous findings on atmospheric turbulence associated with low-intensity surface fires, our results revealed substantial heterogeneity in turbulent intensity and heat and momentum fluxes just above the combustion zone. Despite the small plot (100 <span class="inline-formula">m<sup>2</sup></span>), fire-induced atmospheric turbulence exhibited strong dependence on the downwind distance from the initial line fire and the relative position specific to the fire front as the surface fire spread through the burn plot. This result highlights the necessity for coupled atmosphere–fire behavior models to have 1–2 <span class="inline-formula">m</span> grid spacing to resolve heterogeneities in fire–atmosphere interactions that operate on spatiotemporal scales relevant to atmospheric turbulence. The findings here have important implications for modeling smoke dispersion, as atmospheric dispersion characteristics in the vicinity of a wildland fire are directly affected by fire-induced turbulence.</p>https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/1119/2024/acp-24-1119-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | J. Seitz S. Zhong J. J. Charney W. E. Heilman K. L. Clark X. Bian N. S. Skowronski M. R. Gallagher M. Patterson J. Cole M. T. Kiefer R. Hadden E. Mueller Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| title | Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire |
| title_full | Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire |
| title_fullStr | Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire |
| title_short | Atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel-bed-scale low-intensity surface fire |
| title_sort | atmospheric turbulence observed during a fuel bed scale low intensity surface fire |
| url | https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/1119/2024/acp-24-1119-2024.pdf |
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