WILDFIRE: LATEST LEARNINGS- v01.6

WILDFIRE: LATEST LEARNINGS

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General learning outcome:

GENERAL WEATHER:

Specific learning outcome:

Vertical air flow and the vertical structure of the atmosphere are important for escalated fire.

Topic:

Obtaining and interpreting internet data on vertical air flow.

Expert Awareness for Fire Behaviour Analysts


The available options for obtaining this information are:
  • Deducing the conditions under which vertical air flow may occur from the information at hand, such as surface heating, converging air flows seen in MSLP charts, heating by a fire, etc.
  • Discussions with the duty fire weather forecaster. Forecasters have access to numerical weather models which can depict vertical air flow systems above a certain size. They may have an appreciation of whether general conditions are conducive to the formation of smaller-scale processes such as mountain wind waves.
  • Field observations of the manifestations of vertical air flow – such as cloud formations.

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This website is dedicated to bringing forward the latest research findings. They are provided to allow firefighters to be made aware of critical safety issues ahead of the material being included in the national training curriculum.
Material prepared by Rick McRae for AFAC Research Dissemination Pilot Study, March 2012.