scholarly journals Estimation of dead fuel moisture content from meteorological data in Mediterranean areas. Applications in fire danger assessment

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 390 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Aguado ◽  
E. Chuvieco ◽  
R. Borén ◽  
H. Nieto
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Danger Assessment ◽  
Mediterranean Areas ◽  
Field Samples ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content ◽  
In Fire

The estimation of moisture content of dead fuels is a critical variable in fire danger assessment since it is strongly related to fire ignition and fire spread potential. This study evaluates the accuracy of two well-known meteorological moisture codes, the Canadian Fine Fuels Moisture Content and the US 10-h, to estimate fuel moisture content of dead fuels in Mediterranean areas. Cured grasses and litter have been used for this study. The study was conducted in two phases. The former aimed to select the most efficient code, and the latter to produce a spatial representation of that index for operational assessment of fire danger conditions. The first phase required calibration and validation of an estimation model based on regression analysis. Field samples were collected in the Cabañeros National Park (Central Spain) for a six-year period (1998–2003). The estimations were more accurate for litter (r2 between 0.52) than for cured grasslands (r2 0.11). In addition, grasslands showed higher variability in the trends among the study years. The two moisture codes evaluated in this paper offered similar trends, therefore, the 10-h code was selected since it is simpler to compute. The second phase was based on interpolating the required meteorological variables (temperature and relative humidity) to compute the 10-h moisture code. The interpolation was based on European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) predictions. Finally, a simple method to combine the estimations of dead fuel moisture content with other variables associated to fire danger is presented in this paper. This method estimates the probability of ignition based on the moisture of extinction of each fuel type.

Conversion of fuel moisture content values to ignition potential for integrated fire danger assessment

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2284-2293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Chuvieco ◽  
Inmaculada Aguado ◽  
Alexandros P Dimitrakopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fire Propagation ◽  
Web Mapping ◽  
Danger Assessment ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content ◽  
In Fire ◽  
Fire Ignition

Fuel moisture content (FMC) estimation is a critical part of any fire danger rating system, since fuel water status is determinant in fire ignition and fire propagation. However, FMC alone does not provide a comprehensive assessment of fire danger, since other factors related to fire ignition (lightning, human factors) or propagation (wind, slope) also need to be taken into account. The problem in integrating all these factors is finding a common scale of danger rating that will make it possible to derive synthetic indices. This paper reviews the importance of FMC in fire ignition and fire propagation, as well as the most common methods of estimating FMC values. A simple method to convert FMC values to danger ratings is proposed, based on computing ignition potential from thresholds of moisture of extinction adapted to each fuel. The method has been tested for the Madrid region (central Spain), where a fire danger assessment system has been built. All the variables related to fire danger were integrated into a dedicated geographic information system and information provided to fire managers through a web mapping server.

A global review of remote sensing of live fuel moisture content for fire danger assessment: Moving towards operational products

2013 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 455-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Yebra ◽  
Philip E. Dennison ◽  
Emilio Chuvieco ◽  
David Riaño ◽  
Philip Zylstra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Danger Assessment ◽  
Live Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content

Estimation of Live Fuel Moisture Content From MODIS Images for Fire Danger Assessment in Southern Gran Chaco

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 5339-5349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Arganaraz ◽  
Marcos Alejandro Landi ◽  
Sandra Josefina Bravo ◽  
Gregorio Ignacio Gavier-Pizarro ◽  
Carlos Marcelo Scavuzzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Danger Assessment ◽  
Gran Chaco ◽  
Live Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content

scholarly journals Live fuel moisture content time series in Catalonia since 1998

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Gabriel ◽  
Ruth Delgado-Dávila ◽  
Miquel De Cáceres ◽  
Pere Casals ◽  
Antoni Tudela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
R Package ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Live Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content

Abstract Key message We present a structured and curated database covering 21 years of LFMC measurements in the Catalan region, along with an associated R package to manage updates and facilitate quality processing and visualisation. The data set provides valuable information to study plant responses to drought and improve fire danger prediction. Dataset access is at10.5281/zenodo.4675335, and associated metadata are available athttps://metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/srv/fre/catalog.search#/metadata/583fdbae-3200-4fa7-877c-54df0e6c5542.

Prediction of fire occurrence from live fuel moisture content measurements in a Mediterranean ecosystem

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Chuvieco ◽  
Isabel González ◽  
Felipe Verdú ◽  
Inmaculada Aguado ◽  
Marta Yebra
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fire Occurrence ◽  
Large Fires ◽  
Live Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content

The present paper presents and discusses the relationships between live Fuel Moisture Content (FMC) measurements and fire occurrence (number of fires and burned area) in a Mediterranean area of central Spain. Grasslands and four shrub species (Cistus ladanifer L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Erica australis L. and Phillyrea angustifolia L.) were sampled in the field from the spring to the summer season over a 9-year period. Higher seasonal FMC variability was found for the herbaceous species than for shrubs, as grasslands have very low values in summertime. Moisture variations of grasslands were found to be good predictors of number of fires and total burned surface, while moisture variation of two shrubs (C. ladanifer L. and R. officinalis L.) was more sensitive to both the total burned area and the occurrence of large fires. All these species showed significant differences between the FMC of high and low occurrence periods. Three different logistic regression models were built for the 202 periods of analysis: one to predict periods with more and less than seven fires, another to predict periods with and without large fires (>500 ha), and the third to predict periods with more and less than 200 ha burned. The results showed accuracy in predicting periods with a high number of fires (94%), and extensive burned area (85%), with less accuracy in estimating periods with large fires (58%). Finally, empirical functions based on logistic regression analysis were successfully related to fire ignition or potential burned area from FMC data. These models should be useful to integrate FMC measurements with other variables of fire danger (ignition causes, for instance), to provide a more comprehensive assessment of fire danger conditions.

Predicting the elevated dead fine fuel moisture content in gorse (Ulex europaeus L.) shrub fuels

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2355-2368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A.J. Anderson ◽  
Wendy R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Response Time ◽  
Equilibrium Moisture Content ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Ulex Europaeus ◽  
Fuel Layer ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content

Methods were developed to predict the moisture content of the elevated dead fine fuel layer in gorse ( Ulex europaeus L.) shrub fuels. This layer has been observed to be important for fire development and spread in these fuels. The accuracy of the Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC) of the Canadian Fire Weather Index System to predict the moisture content of this layer was evaluated. An existing model was used to determine the response time and equilibrium moisture content from field data. This response time was incorporated into a bookkeeping model, combining the FFMC and this response time–equilibrium moisture content model. The FFMC poorly predicted the elevated dead fuel moisture content in gorse fuels, and attempts to improve its accuracy through regression modelling were unsuccessful. The response time of the elevated dead fine fuel layer was very fast (38–77 min) and has important implications for fire danger rating. The bookkeeping approach was the most promising method to predict elevated dead fuel moisture content. A limitation was the inability to model fuel-level meteorology. However, this model warrants further validation and extension to other shrub fuels and could be incorporated into existing fire danger rating systems that can utilize hourly weather data.

Combining NDVI and surface temperature for the estimation of live fuel moisture content in forest fire danger rating

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Chuvieco ◽  
David Cocero ◽  
David Riaño ◽  
Pilar Martin ◽  
Javier Martı́nez-Vega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Fuel Moisture ◽  
Live Fuel Moisture ◽  
Forest Fire Danger ◽  
Fuel Moisture Content
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