| Topic | Activities & Assignments | Learning Goals. By the end of this section, you will be able to ... |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | Start reviewing the topics below and answering the assignment questions in class as Lab work, and finish at home as homework. Submit via Canvas within a week after today. |
Focus your studies of the topics below in order to answer the attached Lab/Homework questions. |
| Atmos. Boundary Layer (ABL) | See mc06.4. | Name the components of the ABL and describe the daily evolution of the ABL. Describe the three main types of turbulence. Explain how turbulence statistics relates to turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and to turbulent fluxes (e.g., vertical heat flux). Explain how terms in the TKE budget eq. relate to the Pasquill-Gifford turbulence classification method. Describe why dispersion in the convective ABL is weird. Explain what the term "fumigation" means. |
| Turbulent Dispersion of Smoke | See mc06.5 (=nfb 10.1). | Relate terms in the pollution budget equation to ABL statistics. Explain the role of advection and dispersion in air-pollution/dispersion models. Describe how K-theory (small-eddy diffusion) leads to Gaussian concentration profiles in smoke plumes. |
| Plume Rise from Wildfires, including PyroCu | See nfb 10.2 and the "Smoke" tab above. See mc07.7 and mc07.8 on PyroCumulus and PyroCB, and talks by former students: on
Deep Convection of Smoke into the Stratosphere: |
Explain how heat from the fire and ambient atmospheric static stability and wind affect smoke plume rise in the Briggs model. Discuss how fires alter the ambient environment to alter plume-rise height, as in the Moisseeva model. Explain how intense fires can cause smoke to enter the stratosphere. |
| HYSPLIT model | See mc06.6. | Explain the principles of a Lagrangian dispersion model, summarize how those are implemented in the HYSPLIT model, explain the method is uses to handle turbulence, and describe the main types of output from HYSPLIT. |
| BlueSky & Other Smoke-Forecast Models | See nfb 10.3 and links from the "Smoke" tab above. See slides from a presentation on the BlueSky system. Also, skim book chapter by O'Neill giving an overview of all the operational wildfire smoke models used in the world. | List the major components of the BlueSky-Canada smoke forecast system, and describe how they contribute to the overall forecast. List other operational smoke models that the public can access in Canada and elsewhere in the world. |
| Weather Briefing | Short (10 minute) weather briefing on Vancouver weather by a student team. Utilize the weather-briefing "cookbook" to select which images and movies to show. | Give a well structured weather briefing using appropriate maps and graphs, and finishing within the alotted time. Gain experience in public speaking and working as a team. Strengthen your understanding of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics. Strengthen your ability to form a 3-D picture of the weather in your mind. Utilize appropriate terminology and jargon. |
| Fire Heat Budget | See nfb 9.1 (=fb22a). | Show how Byram's equation can be combined with other factors to create an equation for the overall heat budget of an advancing fire. |
| Fire Radiative Power (FRP) | See nfb 9.2 (=fb22b) , and FRP forecasts from Rodell's fire weather system. | Define "fire radiative power" and describe how it can be estimated from satellite observations. See examples of forecasts of FRP using numerical weather prediction models. |
| Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke | Access the links in nfb 10.4. See video presentation (9:40) by Caroline Webber, or read the accompanying report. | Describe the composition of wildfire smoke. Explain what PM2.5 is, and why it is a health concern. List issues associate with occupational (fire fighter) and non-occupational exposure. List additional resources available from the BC Center for Disease Control (BCCDC). |