Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

NCAR to Develop Wildland Fire Prediction System for Colorado
  • USA - English


News provided by

NCAR|UCAR Media Office

Dec 09, 2015, 10:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

NCAR scientist Janice Coen used the CAWFE modeling system to create this simulation of the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona, which killed 19 firefighters. (©UCAR)
NCAR scientist Janice Coen used the CAWFE modeling system to create this simulation of the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona, which killed 19 firefighters. (©UCAR)

Boulder, Colorado (PRWEB) December 09, 2015 -- Computer modeling animations of wildland fires available at:
http://www..mmm.ucar.edu/people/coen/files/newpage_m.html

The state of Colorado is turning to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to establish the country’s most advanced system for predicting wildland fire behavior, including where and how quickly the blazes will spread.

This technology represents the next generation of wildland fire prediction

Post this

Developed in response to legislation that Gov. John Hickenlooper signed in May, the new agreement finalized this month creates an innovative research and development partnership to generate real-time, 18-hour forecasts of active wildfires in the state. NCAR will work with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s new Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting in Rifle to design and develop the system and begin testing it as early as next year.

“This technology represents the next generation of wildland fire prediction,” said NCAR science manager William Mahoney, who worked with state officials on developing the new agreement. “It will capture some of the critical feedbacks between large fires and the local weather, which often result in extreme fire behaviors that threaten lives and property. Colorado is using homegrown technology to lead the nation in wildland fire prediction.”

The experimental forecast products will draw on powerful NCAR computer simulations and newly available satellite measurements of fires, obtained with a technique developed at the University of Maryland. They will also incorporate observations from Colorado’s Multi-Mission Aircraft.

The Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s Center of Excellence is “excited to be working with NCAR to develop this stakeholder-driven technology,” said Center of Excellence Director Melissa Lineberger.

She added that the technology will be particularly valuable to Colorado because it is being developed with stakeholder input and firefighters’ needs in mind.

The system will provide unprecedented detail about interactions between weather and fire, which can create dangers for firefighters on the ground as well as for firefighting aircraft. It will build on a specialized computer model that was developed at NCAR with support by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Once the system is fully developed and operational, it will be run by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

-----Tackling a major threat-----

Wildland fires are highly damaging in Colorado, taking the lives of firefighters and local residents, devastating large areas, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Insurance claims from a single blaze, the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire, totaled more than $450 million.

To better protect Colorado, state Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D-Arvada) and state Sen. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) sponsored legislation earlier this year to fund development of the forecasting system.

“This is a revolutionary early-warning system that will better safeguard all of us for years to come,” Kraft-Tharp said.

The lessons learned from the Colorado system are expected to yield benefits for fighting wildfires across the western United States.

-----Capturing fire weather-----

Despite the lives and economic costs at risk, the techniques currently available for anticipating fire behavior remain similar to those of past decades. Typically, firefighters infer how fast the edge of a fire will expand based on terrain, fuels, and a measurement or estimate of the winds. But this approach cannot capture changes associated with the interaction of fire and weather.

To accurately forecast a wildland fire in detail, a computer model has to simulate highly localized winds that drive the flames. Adding to the complexity, a major blaze alters local weather, creating winds within the fire that may be more than 10 times stronger than those outside. These internal winds can contribute to potentially deadly accelerations, increases in intensity, unexpected shifts in direction, or splits in which the flames go in multiple directions.

This interplay between fire and weather is particularly pronounced in Colorado and other western states, where clouds produce strong outflows and winds can rush down mountainsides and vary from one valley to the next.

To tackle this problem, the Colorado forecasting system will use a breakthrough computer model developed by NCAR scientist Janice Coen, who has studied wildland fires for more than 20 years. NCAR’s CAWFE® modeling system (derived from Coupled Atmosphere-Wildland Fire Environment) combines weather prediction with fire behavior simulations to capture the highly complex interplay of fire and weather.

By restarting the model every few hours with the latest satellite and aircraft observations of an active fire—a process known as cycling—Coen and her research partner, University of Maryland professor Wilfrid Schroeder, have shown that it is possible to accurately predict the course of a blaze over the next one to two days. They can keep refreshing the model, making it possible to simulate the entire lifetime of even a very long-lived fire, from ignition to extinction.

“Even though fires are complex and rapidly changing and often described as unpredictable, much of a fire event can be foreseen by this more sophisticated model,” Coen said.

-----Additional contacts:-----

Jeff Smith, NCAR/UCAR Media Relations
303-497-2679
jeffs(at)ucar(dot)edu

Caley Fisher, Media Relations, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
720-391-1565
caley(dot)fisher(at)state(dot)co(dot)us

See this news release and other highlights of atmospheric research and images:
http://www.ucar.edu/atmosnews

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research manages NCAR under sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

David Hosansky, NCAR|UCAR Media Office, +1 303-497-8611, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.