Climatological and statistical characteristics of the Haines Index for North America

Winkler, Julie A.; Potter, Brian E.; Wilhelm, Dwight F.; Shadbolt, Ryan P.; Piromsopa, Krerk; Bian, Xindi

doi:10.1071/wf06086

Cited by 32 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…Paltridge et al (2009) and Dessler and Davis (2010) quoted some troubles in specific humidity in the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data, particularly in the tropical regions and above 500 hPa, but it is not the case. Also, the use of this kind of data also is supported by previous studies (Choi et al, 2006;Winkler et al, 2007), so by keeping the same data base could help comparing results.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 59%

“…The reanalysis fields were also chosen over radiosounding station data because of their greater and more uniform spatial coverage over the study area and because of concerns about the quality of the radiosounding data (Winkler et al, 2007). The large number of discontinuities in radiosounding time series at individual stations as a result of station relocations and changes in sensors and observing practices can make the radiosounding record difficult to use for climatology analysis (Elliott and Gaffen, 1991;Elliott et al, 1998;Gaffen et al, 2000;Winkler, 2004).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, atmospheric instability and dryness have been associated with large wildfires for many years (Brotak and Reifsnyder, 1977;Brotak, 1980;Werth and Ochoa, 1993;Potter, 1996;Jones and Maxwell, 1998;Reges and Alden, 1998;Werth and Werth, 1998;Croft et al, 2002aCroft et al, , 2002bJenkins, 2002Jenkins, , 2004Choi et al, 2006;Long, 2006;Mokoric and Kalin, 2006;Weber and Dold, 2006;McCaw et al, 2007;Winkler et al, 2007;Trouet et al, 2009, Peace et al, 2012. Haines (1988) was the first to develop a fire risk index based on the stability and moisture content of the lower atmospheric layers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Nevertheless, because HI spatial and temporal analyses were not carried out until around 10 years ago, fire managers had no reliable databases with which to compare their observational values. Winkler et al (2007) remedied this with their HI climatological study of most of North America, which was based on 40 years of reanalysis data and is available at http://info.airfire.org/haines/usingatlas.html. Subsequent studies on HI interannual variations in this region (Trouet et al, 2009) have yielded good statistical correlations between years with high HI values and the development of large wildfires.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climatology of the stability and humidity terms in the Haines Index to improve the estimate of forest fire risk in the Western Mediterranean Basin (Valencia region, Spain)

et al. 2014

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ABSTRACT:The stability and moisture content of the different atmospheric levels are commonly used to assess the risk index in the propagation and evolution of a hypothetical forest fire. The Haines Index (HI) combines these terms to determine the environmental potential for wildfire growth. In this paper the environmental stability and humidity associated with the lower atmospheric layers in the Western Mediterranean Basin are investigated by analysing HI calculations over a 29-year period. The HI climatology can be applied to the study of plume-dominated forest fires. These fires tend to present very erratic propagation behaviour and create highly dangerous situations for fire brigades. Thus the knowledge of the typical index values and the meteorological situations that generate them could be extremely useful for minimizing the fire risk and planning specific fire-fighting activities. In this study we carry out a spatial and temporal analysis of the Index and its terms in the Valencia region on the basis of NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data from 1980 to 2008, obtaining a detailed climatological analysis of the HI in the Valencia region for each variant of elevation, which can be used as a reference tool. Moreover, using NCEP reanalysis maps at 500 and 850 hPa, we also perform a daily synoptic analysis for the studied period which is finally associated to the different values that the Index can show in this area. As a result three dominant synoptic weather situations have been defined in this region: continental, maritime and convective. A direct proportionality has been found between increases in the HI and convective situations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 59%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Climatology of the stability and humidity terms in the Haines Index to improve the estimate of forest fire risk in the Western Mediterranean Basin (Valencia region, Spain)

et al. 2014

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“…For example, Chen et al [2009] used fire-danger indices to simulate future fires at a daily time step across the continental USA (CONUS). Besides fire-danger indices, there are other fire-weather variables derived from climate models that can be used as indicators of future atmospheric conditions conducive to large or erratic fires; for example, the Haines Index [Winkler et al, 2007], or the Haines Index coupled with a measure of turbulent kinetic energy Bian, 2010, 2013].…”

Section: Predicting Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Smoke consequences of new wildfire regimes driven by climate change

et al. 2014

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Smoke from wildfires has adverse biological and social consequences, and various lines of evidence suggest that smoke from wildfires in the future may be more intense and widespread, demanding that methods be developed to address its effects on people, ecosystems, and the atmosphere. In this paper, we present the essential ingredients of a modeling system for projecting smoke consequences in a rapidly warming climate that is expected to change wildfire regimes significantly. We describe each component of the system, offer suggestions for the elements of a modeling agenda, and provide some general guidelines for making choices among potential components. We address a prospective audience of researchers whom we expect to be fluent already in building some or many of these components, so we neither prescribe nor advocate particular models or software. Instead, our intent is to highlight fruitful ways of thinking about the task as a whole and its components, while providing substantial, if not exhaustive, documentation from the primary literature as reference. This paper provides a guide to the complexities of smoke modeling under climate change, and a research agenda for developing a modeling system that is equal to the task while being feasible with current resources.

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