Project – FIRESMOKE

ABOUT FIRESMOKE

The FIRESMOKE project aims to enhance the weather forecast model BRAMS, which internally couples an air chemistry model (CCATT) and a surface forest fire propagation model (SFIRE), enabling short-term and real-time simulations. Within the project’s scope, further advancements in the BRAMS model will be undertaken, particularly in the surface wildland fire propagation model (SFIRE). This enhancement will incorporate crown tree fire propagation, and the resulting smoke from both the surface and tree canopy will be introduced into the Eulerian Coupled Chemistry, Aerosol, and Tracer Transport model (CCATT).
Additionally, igniting sources stemming from natural and human causes will be integrated into the SFIRE model. This development is carried out by GEMAC (Emission, Modeling, and Climate Change Group), a research group from the Department of Environment and Planning at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, and by GMAI (Modeling Atmosphere and its Interfaces Group), a research group from the Weather Forecast Center and Climate Studies at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES

1) The goal is to obtain real-time estimates of fire plume behavior, not only derived from surface forest fires but also including fires originating in canopy trees. This aims to simulate fires in areas with complex forest fuel, creating an integrated fire forecasting system. This system can monitor air quality and pollutant dispersion trajectories from these smokes, and simultaneously simulate anthropogenic and biogenic pollutants.
2) With this development, the intention is to offer forecasts within the atmospheric scope, specifically regarding air quality, smoke dispersion, and health risk alerts. The objective is to provide a publicly accessible service covering continental Portugal.