Abstract
Wildland fire behavior research has largely focused on the steady-state interactions between fuels and heat fluxes. Contemporary research is revealing new questions outside the bounds of this simplified approach. Here, we explore the complex interactions taking place beyond steady-state assumptions through acknowledging the manufactured separation of research disciplines in fire science and the dynamic interactions that unfold when these separations are removed. Through a series of examples spanning at least four research disciplines and three ranges of spatial scale, we illustrate that by precisely defining parameters in a way that holds across scales and relaxing one steady-state simplification, we begin to capture the inherent variability that has largely eluded the fire behavior community. Through exploring examples of “deep interdependence,” we make the case that fire behavior science is well equipped to launch forward into more complex lines of inquiry.
Highlights
The field of fire behavior science has traditionally taken a somewhat simplified approach in quantifying energetic interactions [1,2,3,4,5]
The assumption of steady-state dynamics in wildland fire behavior is a legacy that limits the opportunity for advancement of mechanisms involved in understanding fire spread
By systematically releasing traditional simplifications, the study of fire behavior can move beyond steady-state dynamics and address the complex questions fundamental to a greater understanding of wildland fires
Summary
The field of fire behavior science has traditionally taken a somewhat simplified approach in quantifying energetic interactions [1,2,3,4,5]. This simplified approach was borne out of a lack of adequate field data and a need to support firefighter planning and safety through rapid predictions Such simplifications resulted in a profusion of research on the steady-state forward progression of a flaming front, subject to a constant driving surface wind in a neutral atmosphere for continuous surface fuels. Steady-state assumptions that focus on mean spread rate handicap attempts to understand the role of variability in complex systems This variability arises, in the movement of the combustion zone, and in dynamics of the involved natural systems [10,11]. Steady-state fire behavior results from assuming that the complex exchange between seemingly separate research foci can be reduced to a few simple inputs (Figure 1a).
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