Tip Sheet: Investigating Wildfire Behavior and Impacts

Scientists model fire-weather interactions, investigate air and water quality, human settlement impacts

June 12, 2007

BOULDER—Persistent drought and hot weather are expected to make this year’s wildland fire season unusually severe. Spring fires have caused extensive damage in the Southeast and in southern California, and experts warn that much of the West is vulnerable to large blazes this summer.

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) closely study a wide range of wildfire topics. Using advanced computer models and sophisticated observing tools, they look at wildfire behavior, emissions that can reach across the country and beyond, and impacts on local communities.

Experts are available to explain how

• satellite observations enable scientists to track wildfire emissions worldwide;
  
  
• smoke from a major blaze can significantly degrade air quality both locally and thousands of miles away;
  
  
• mercury and volatile chemicals contained within plants and soil are released during wildfires;
  
  
• scientists study the erratic behavior of wildfires by building computer models that incorporate ground and weather conditions;
  
  
• post-wildfire run-off and erosion affect streams, reservoirs, and other water resources; and
  
  
• homeowners in fire-prone areas respond to information about wildfires and make decisions to reduce their vulnerability to fire.

Wildfire Experts at NCAR

Fire emissions and air quality impacts

David Edwards, NCAR Scientist
303-497-1857
Edwards is project leader for a satellite instrument that provides unprecedented detail about atmospheric levels of carbon monoxide, a potentially harmful gas emitted by both wildfires and industrial activities. The instrument (called Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere, or MOPITT) has provided evidence that wildfires and agricultural burning are responsible for about half the world’s carbon monoxide.

Gabriele Pfister, NCAR Scientist
303-497-2915
Pfister specializes in forest fires at high latitudes and their impacts on pollution and climate. Her research has shown that wildfires in Alaska and Canada can significantly increase levels of ground-level ozone as far away as the U.S. East Coast and Europe.

Christine Wiedinmyer, NCAR Scientist
303-497-1414
Wiedinmyer estimates the chemical composition of emissions from all kinds of large-scale fires, particularly those in North America. Her estimates are used by environmental officials who work on strategies to minimize air pollution and improve air quality. Scientists who create computer models of regional climate and chemicals in the atmosphere also draw on her work.

Hans Friedli, NCAR Scientist
303-497-1395
Friedli specializes in measuring the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere during wildfires. Mercury, a toxic metal, is stored in foliage and ground litter until those substances burn. Friedli’s research, which relies on both fieldwork and lab experiments, is providing insights into the global movement of mercury and the extent to which the toxin enters the food chain.

Fire behavior and safety

Janice Coen, NCAR Scientist
303-497-8986
Coen creates computer models incorporating the interplay between fire and weather to simulate the movements of wildfires. The simulations help researchers understand why fires act in ways that may appear unpredictable, and reveal aspects of fire behavior that can make firefighting safer.

Fire and water

Kathy Miller, NCAR Scientist
303-497-8115
An expert on water issues, Miller studies the impacts of wildfires on drinking water. Major blazes can affect runoff patterns and send large amounts of sediments into streams and reservoirs, potentially contaminating drinking water. Miller also conducts research into the reasons that some residents buy houses in areas with a high fire risk.

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