Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory seek to reduce uncertainties with these fires
DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory
A firefighter starts a fire to serve as a firebreak to prevent spread of a brush fire.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., March 4, 2021 Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and partners have used modeling to highlight the large impact that small changes in wind conditions can have on low-intensity fires or prescribed burns. Conducting safe prescribed fires depends on anticipating the range of potential fire behavior associated with complex wind conditions. This study has important implications for the future use of observations to aid in model development, said Alexandra Jonko, a computational earth scientist at Los Alamos, whose team authored an article published in a special issue in MDPI Atmosphere. Adequately characterizing variations in the wind at multiple scales is critical. Ultimately, this work will lead to scientific improvements that will allow presc