Fire Metrology: Current and Future Directions in Physics-Based Measurements

Abstract

The robust evaluation of fire impacts on the biota, soil, and atmosphere requires measurement and analysis methods that can characterize combustion processes across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Numerous challenges are apparent in the literature. These challenges have led to novel research to quantify the 1) structure and heterogeneity of the pre-fire vegetation; 2) energy released during the combustion process and the ultimate disposition of that energy through conduction, radiation, and convective transport; and 3) landscape-scale impacts of fire on soils, vegetation, and atmosphere. The grand challenge is how to integrate the pre-, active-, and post-fire measurements and physical process models into a single robust and well validated framework. This paper presents a brief review of the current state of fire metrology research and proposes future research to address the measurement grand challenge.