Using Supercomputers to Forecast Wildfire Behavior
Los Alamos National Laboratory sent this bulletin at 08/19/2014 12:12 PM MDT
Using Supercomputers to Forecast Wildfire Behavior
Thanks to prolonged drought and a changing climate, the frequency and intensity of catastrophic wildfires are increasing every year, not only in the West, but across the country and the world. According to the National Interagency Fire Center there are currently 28 large wildfires burning across the country covering 568,582 acres. While there is still no substitute for boots on the ground when it comes to battling these destructive blazes, firefighting experts are increasingly looking to new advances in science and technology to help them gain the upper hand when it comes to wildfire monitoring and prediction.
With the aid of big-data crunching supercomputers, Los Alamos National Lab scientists have developed a high-tech computer model called HIGRAD/FIRETEC that provides essential insights for front-line fire fighters.
Click here <http://bit.ly/1qKIY4S> to see how HIGRAD/FIRETEC makes it possible to forecast the behavior of megafires in real time.
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