U wildfire researchers fine-tune forest fire computer models

Grass fires behave differently than those in forests. But computer fire simulations don’t capture that difference very well. 

Derek Mallia and colleagues found that conventional models overestimate the growth rate of fires in forests and the height of smoke plumes. Factoring in lower wind speeds in forest canopies aligned the models better with observations. The research is published in Atmosphere.

Mallia can also speak about computer simulations of wildfire, the modeled outlook for the future, and about the difference between grass fires and forest fires.