• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment

Why Controlled Burns Sometimes Mutate into Runaway Wildfires todayheadline

December 2, 2024
in Science & Environment
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
Why Controlled Burns Sometimes Mutate into Runaway Wildfires
4
SHARES
8
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In April 2022, forestry workers started a small number of fires in the Santa Fe National Forest near a remote mountain called Hermit’s Peak. The plan, part of a nationwide program of controlled burns, was to thin out the dense pine woodlands to reduce the risk of a bigger, uncontrolled burn later.

The team was aware of the two ways that wildfires usually spread. The first is via direct contact with nearby trees and grass, which is relatively easy to predict. But the second is much harder. Known as spotting, it involves burning embers, or firebrands, being blown away from the main conflagration and triggering secondary blazes further away.

An important part of the team’s plan was to place spotters downwind of the controlled burn so that they could immediately extinguish any unwanted blazes.

Out of Control

But the team significantly underestimated the distance that embers could travel, and the fire quickly spread out of control. Within days it became the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s history, destroying hundreds of homes and displacing residents over an area of 341,471 acres, about the size of greater Los Angeles.

That raises an important question. Theoretical studies suggest that firebrands should travel a few hundred meters downwind before they land. And yet firefighters have long observed spotting at distances greater than one kilometer. Why so much further than theoretical studies suggest?

Now they have an answer thanks to the work of Mohammed Farazmand, a mathematician at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, who has modelled the way that burning pieces of ember interact with the wind. He says that the heat from fires can set up travelling waves in the atmosphere. Firebrands can then “surf” on these waves further than anyone had thought possible. “This delays the firebrand’s landing, making extreme spotting distances possible,” says Farazmand.

Wildfires are well known to create complex patterns of wind when hot, rising air interacts with cooler air in the atmosphere. One way to model this flow is as a uniform movement of air. But a more complex scenario is that the fires create travelling waves in the atmosphere in which the air moves up and down at various frequencies as it travels horizontally.

Farazmand modelled both types of movement to see how they affected the transport of firebrands. His model assumed that firebrands initially have a random motion as they are buffeted by the turbulence of the fire.

His model suggests that if the wind is uniform, these embers can travel several hundred meters at a rate that depends on the wind speed, before gravity pulls them to the ground.

Fire Surfing

But things change dramatically if the wind forms even a small travelling wave. In this case, any ember that happens to match the speed of the wave can be picked up and begins to surf. It can then travel significantly further, even if the travelling wave has the same horizontal velocity as the uniform wind speed.

“We show that traveling waves, with reasonable wind speeds, can significantly increase the landing distance,” says Farazmand. “The traveling wave can lead to spotting distances which exceed one kilometer.”

That’s a useful conclusion that will help to inform the way controlled burns are policed in future. The message is simple: spot fires can start at least a kilometer downwind from the main burn. That kind of distance will significantly increase the size of the area that needs to be patrolled and the number of people required to do it .

But if it prevents the kind of runaway conflagration that hit New Mexico in 2022, the price will be worth paying.


Ref: Extreme firebrand transport by atmospheric waves in wildfires : arxiv.org/abs/2411.13275

Tags: Forests
Previous Post

Do Netanyahu and Israeli officials have immunity from arrest in the UK?

Next Post

December 02, 2024 1800 UTC

Related Posts

an astronaut with his torso exposed out of a spacecraft hatch, with a blue-and-white earth behind him

Trump to withdraw Jared Isaacman’s nomination as NASA chief

May 31, 2025
4
A bowl of oats and some oat grains

This Type of Fiber Could Have Weight Loss Benefits Similar to Ozempic : ScienceAlert todayheadline

May 31, 2025
4
Next Post
December 02, 2024 1800 UTC

December 02, 2024 1800 UTC

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0

What White House reportedly said about the future of Mark Carney’s daughter at Harvard

June 1, 2025
Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

June 1, 2025
Inzaghi won't rule out Inter exit after final loss

Inzaghi won’t rule out Inter exit after final loss

June 1, 2025
Costco plans new checkout option members should love

Costco plans new checkout option members should love todayheadline

June 1, 2025

Recent News

What White House reportedly said about the future of Mark Carney’s daughter at Harvard

June 1, 2025
0
Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

June 1, 2025
3
Inzaghi won't rule out Inter exit after final loss

Inzaghi won’t rule out Inter exit after final loss

June 1, 2025
3
Costco plans new checkout option members should love

Costco plans new checkout option members should love todayheadline

June 1, 2025
3

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

Northern Ireland’s lone synagogue staves off decline by engaging Christian neighbors

June 1, 2025
Inzaghi won't rule out Inter exit after final loss

Inzaghi won’t rule out Inter exit after final loss

June 1, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co