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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Narasimhan K. Larkin; Susan M. O'Neill; Robert Solomon; Sean M. Raffuse; Tara M. Strand; Dana Coe Sullivan; Candace M. Krull; Miriam L. Rorig; Janice L. Peterson; Sue A. Ferguson
Publication Date: 2009

Smoke from fire is a local, regional and often international issue that is growing in complexity as competition for airshed resources increases. BlueSky is a smoke modeling framework designed to help address this problem by enabling simulations of the cumulative smoke impacts from fires (prescribed, wildland, and agricultural) across a region. Versions of BlueSky have been implemented in prediction systems across the contiguous US, and land managers, air-quality regulators, incident command teams, and the general public can currently obtain BlueSky-based predictions of smoke impacts for their region. A highly modular framework, BlueSky links together a variety of state-of-the-art models of meteorology, fuels, consumption, emissions, and air quality, and offers multiple model choices at each modeling step. This modularity also allows direct comparison between similar component models. This paper presents the overall model framework Version 2.5 - the component models, how they are linked together, and the results from case studies of two wildfires. Predicted results are affected by the specific choice of modeling pathway. With the pathway chosen, the modeled output generally compares well with plume shape and extent as observed by satellites, but underpredicts surface concentrations as observed by ground monitors. Sensitivity studies show that knowledge of fire behavior can greatly improve the accuracy of these smoke impact calculations.

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Citation: Larkin, Narasimhan K.; O'Neill, Susan M.; Solomon, Robert; Raffuse, Sean; Strand, Tara; Sullivan, Dana C.; Krull, Candace; Rorig, Miriam; Peterson, Janice; Ferguson, Sue A. 2009. The BlueSky smoke modeling framework. International Journal of Wildland Fire 18(8):906-920.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    International    National
Keywords:
  • air quality
  • BlueSky
  • BlueSky Modeling Framework
  • British Columbia
  • Canada
  • Cascades Range
  • competition
  • cropland fires
  • ecosystem dynamics
  • FERA - Fire and Environmental Research Applications Team
  • fire case histories
  • fire management
  • fire regimes
  • fire size
  • fuel loading
  • fuel management
  • Idaho
  • land management
  • Montana
  • Oregon
  • remote sensing
  • smoke management
  • Washington
  • wildfires
Tall Timbers Record Number: 24535Location Status: In-fileCall Number: Journals-IAbstract Status: Fair use, Okay, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 48412

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.