Fire Simulation with 200 Meter Hill

Building upon the 1997 experiments, this simulation prescribed similar fuels (dry eucalyptus) but with the addition of a 200 meter hill. Upslope winds drive the fire spread. This research was conducted under sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.

Green and dark brown regions depict unburnt and burnt fuel, respectively. Rotational and turbulence features (enstrophy) are shown as a transparent blue isosurface at a level of .1, while the hot temperature surface (buoyancy) at 2° C is shown in red.

The white-to-red structure shows the temperature field, with white colors associated with the hottest areas. The turquoise field represents enstrophy, which is a measure of rotation and often used to study the turbulent characteristics of a flow field. Note the two small "backfires" behind the main fire front.