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Publication Date

Summer 2024

Degree Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Meteorology and Climate Science

Advisor

Craig Clements; Adam Kochanski; Albert Simeoni

Abstract

Wildfires in complex terrain have demonstrated vulnerability of populations and high risk associated with firefighting operations. Field observations during the California Canyon Fire Experiment (CCFE) conducted in Fall 2022 showed extreme fire behavior of fire spread in a steep canyon including evidence of a small fire eruption, or blow-up. Being one of the most violent and unpredictable phenomena that can occur during a wildfire and linked to many firefighter fatalities, fire eruptions are historically found to happen in canyons and steep terrain. The goal of this field experiment was to improve understanding of fire eruptions and extreme fire behavior in complex terrain by taking comprehensive measurements with state-of-the-art instrumentation. Four poles and a tower in the canyon equipped with 3-D sonic anemometers showed noticeable fire-induced increases in temperature, horizontal, and vertical wind velocities at fire front passage (FFP), and strong wind reversal from the ridgetop and into the canyon. Furthermore, these observations provided a unique look at turbulence structures and plume dynamics associated with an extreme fire in complex terrain. Turbulence statistics showed the intense impacts of the fire, most notably at the two middle poles. Lastly, Doppler lidar velocity observations showed the plume evolution throughout the fire’s propagation and during the eruption. These new observations captured one of the most complete pictures of a fire experiment conducted in canyon terrain in the United States.

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