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International Journal of Wildland Fire International Journal of Wildland Fire Society
Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
REVIEW

Atmospheric interactions with wildland fire behaviour – II. Plume and vortex dynamics

Brian E. Potter
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

Pacific Northwest Fire Sciences Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, 400 N 34th Street, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98103, USA. Email: bpotter@fs.fed.us

International Journal of Wildland Fire 21(7) 802-817 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF11129
Submitted: 6 September 2011  Accepted: 24 January 2012   Published: 6 July 2012

Abstract

This paper is the second of two reviewing scientific literature from 100 years of research addressing interactions between the atmosphere and fire behaviour. These papers consider research on the interactions between the fuels burning at any instant and the atmosphere, and the interactions between the atmosphere and those fuels that will eventually burn in a given fire. The first paper reviews the progression from the surface atmospheric properties of temperature, humidity and wind to horizontal and vertical synoptic structures and ends with vertical atmospheric profiles. This second paper addresses plume dynamics and vortices. The review presents several questions and concludes with suggestions for areas of future research.

Additional keywords: convection, fire weather, review, whirls, vortices.


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