Table 4.
Priority measurement needs.
| Field | Property | Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuels and consumption | Fuel conditions | Type, load, bulk density, spatial distribution above and on ground; Dead and live fuel moistures; latitude / longitude, elevation, slope. | Inputs of fire behavior and smoke modeling. |
| Consumption | Rate, amount, smoldering/flaming stage. | Estimate fire emissions. | |
| Spatial heterogeneity | Pre- and post-fuel stands. | Fire behavior and consumption. | |
| Fire behavior and energy | Ignition | Pattern, start time, duration, time and space dependence; Burned area. | Inputs of fire behavior and smoke modeling. |
| Fire spread | Fireline location, shape, depth, time and space evolution; Lateral fire progression. | Evaluation of fire behavior modeling; Improving fire-vegetation-air interaction. | |
| Radiation and heat | Spatial distribution and temporal variation; Time dependent location of plume envelope to the downwind distance of neutral buoyancy. | Fire model evaluation; smoke model inputs; Improve / develop parameterizations of the fire-induced heat flux and multiple sub-plume number. | |
| Smoke and meteorology | Atmospheric conditions | 3D temperature, winds, moisture, pressure, precipitation | Inputs of fire and smoke modeling, model evaluation. |
| Fluxes, turbulence, and convection | Fire exit vertical velocity and temperature; Sensible, latent and radiative fluxes; Atmospheric turbulence; PBL height; Entrainment rate; Pyro-cumulus (height, cloud condensation nuclei). | Evaluate fire models; Inputs and evaluation of smoke modeling; Assess and improve fire-air interaction modeling. | |
| Plume structure | Vertical profile and rise; Multiple sub-plume number, location, time change, merging process. | Model validation and improvement of fire gas and aerosol chemical evolution in local and remote areas | |
| Nighttime smoke | Smoldering stage emissions; Local wind, temperature, humidity, and air pressure. | Inputs of smoke drainage and fog formation modeling | |
| Emissions and chemistry | Fire emissions | PM, O3, CO, CO2, CH4, VOC speciation (incl. carbonyls); CH3CN, nitrogen gases. | Validate and improve fire emissions estimates; O3 and PM2.5 chemistry |
| Smoke chemistry | Speciated and size resolved PM, particle number and diameter; SO2, NH3, CH4, VOC speciation; Oxidized nitrogen gases, photolysis rates. | Smoke modeling evaluation; Understand factors and dynamics of multiple sub-plumes and develop model parameterization | |
| Near-event and downwind measurements | PM, CO, CO2, and VOC near-fire and downwind. | Inputs and evaluation of smoke modeling | |
| Plume optical properties | Light scattering/absorption of plume constituents; Cloud and ice condensation nuclei; Solar radiation, jNO2 photolysis. | Better representation of the radiative impacts of smoke on cloud microphysics, radiation and photochemistry |