14 DAY TRIAL // A group of investigators from the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), in Boulder, Colorado says that it has just finished work on a new computer model, which has proven capable of predicting how wildfires will grow and spread during long-term wildfires.
The computer-modeling technique is described in a paper published in the November 14 issue of the Geophysical Union's journal Geophysical Research Letters. Working with colleagues at the University of Maryland, the NCAR team found a way of combining satellite weather data with information about wildfires collected from the field.
Given the positive implications that it could have on reducing the number of casualties and the severity of property damage caused by extensive wildfire, the investigation was supported by NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US National Science Foundation (NSF).
“This model, which combines interactive weather prediction and wildfire behavior, could greatly improve forecasting – particularly for large, intense wildfire events where the current prediction tools are weakest,' explains the lead author of the new research paper, NCAR scientist Janice Coen.