earth-sciences

Wildfire Science & Fire Behavior

The physics and ecology of wildfire — Rothermel spread models, dead fuel moisture thresholds, crown fire transitions, fire weather indices, and Gaussian plume smoke dispersion across terrain and atmosphere.

wildfirefire behaviorRothermel modelfuel moisturecrown firefire weather indexsmoke dispersionfire science

Wildfire science integrates thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, ecology, and meteorology to predict how fires ignite, spread, and behave across landscapes. The Rothermel spread model, developed for the US Forest Service, remains the backbone of fire behavior prediction systems worldwide, translating fuel characteristics, topography, and weather into actionable spread-rate forecasts.

These simulations let you model fire spread rates under varying fuel and wind conditions, explore dead fuel moisture and ignition thresholds, analyze crown fire transition dynamics, compute composite fire weather indices, and visualize Gaussian plume smoke transport — all with real-time interactive parameter controls grounded in peer-reviewed fire science.

5 interactive simulations

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Crown Fire Transition & Torching Index

Simulate crown fire initiation — explore how canopy base height, foliar moisture, and fireline intensity determine the transition from surface to crown fire

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Rothermel Fire Spread Model

Simulate wildfire spread rate using the Rothermel model — explore how wind speed, fuel load, moisture, and slope drive fire behavior

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Fire Weather Index System

Simulate the Canadian Fire Weather Index — explore how temperature, humidity, wind, and rain combine into composite fire danger ratings

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Dead Fuel Moisture & Ignition Threshold

Simulate dead fuel moisture response to temperature and humidity — explore how timelag classes and ignition thresholds determine fire danger

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Gaussian Plume Smoke Transport

Simulate smoke dispersion from wildfire using a Gaussian plume model — explore how wind speed, atmospheric stability, and source strength shape downwind concentrations