Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products

<p>Daily Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components calculated from the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), are compared to FWI calculations from a global network of weather stations over 2004–2018, and short-term, experimental (8&thin...

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Main Author: R. D. Field
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2020-04-01
Series:Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Online Access:https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/20/1123/2020/nhess-20-1123-2020.pdf
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author R. D. Field
R. D. Field
author_facet R. D. Field
R. D. Field
author_sort R. D. Field
collection DOAJ
description <p>Daily Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components calculated from the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), are compared to FWI calculations from a global network of weather stations over 2004–2018, and short-term, experimental (8&thinsp;d) daily FWI forecasts are evaluated for their skill across the Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World for 2018. FWI components from MERRA-2 were, in general, biased low compared to station data, but this reflects a mix of coherent low and high biases of different magnitudes. Biases in different MERRA-2 FWI components were related to different biases in weather input variables for different regions, but temperature and relative humidity biases were the most important overall. FWI forecasts had high skill for 1–2&thinsp;d lead times for most of the world. For longer lead times, forecast skill decreased most quickly at high latitudes and was most closely related to decreasing skill of relative humidity forecasts. These results provide a baseline for the evaluation and use of fire weather products calculated from global analysis and forecast fields.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-ee6fdd138c7c44f590c3a703e50865902022-12-22T02:34:33ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812020-04-01201123114710.5194/nhess-20-1123-2020Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast productsR. D. Field0R. D. Field1Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, 10025, USANASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, 10025, USA<p>Daily Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components calculated from the NASA Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2), are compared to FWI calculations from a global network of weather stations over 2004–2018, and short-term, experimental (8&thinsp;d) daily FWI forecasts are evaluated for their skill across the Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World for 2018. FWI components from MERRA-2 were, in general, biased low compared to station data, but this reflects a mix of coherent low and high biases of different magnitudes. Biases in different MERRA-2 FWI components were related to different biases in weather input variables for different regions, but temperature and relative humidity biases were the most important overall. FWI forecasts had high skill for 1–2&thinsp;d lead times for most of the world. For longer lead times, forecast skill decreased most quickly at high latitudes and was most closely related to decreasing skill of relative humidity forecasts. These results provide a baseline for the evaluation and use of fire weather products calculated from global analysis and forecast fields.</p>https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/20/1123/2020/nhess-20-1123-2020.pdf
spellingShingle R. D. Field
R. D. Field
Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
title Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
title_full Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
title_fullStr Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
title_short Evaluation of Global Fire Weather Database reanalysis and short-term forecast products
title_sort evaluation of global fire weather database reanalysis and short term forecast products
url https://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/20/1123/2020/nhess-20-1123-2020.pdf
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