Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide
Photo Credit: Eric Evenson (NAFSE)
Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide
As the increasing number and intensity of wildfires become one of the imminent consequences of climate change worldwide, it becomes increasingly important to be aware of meteorological conditions that favor their desstructivness. With wildfires becoming more extreme under climate change, the ability of firefighters to extinguish fires directly and in a short period of time is decreasing. Therefore, long-term forecasting and knowledge of state-of-the-art weather models and satellite data is necessary to complement operations. Highly sophisticated fire weather and fire behaviour analysis, as for example incorporated in the Fire Services of Catalunya, Australia and the United States provides an useful and safe approach for decision making. Therefore learning about the available resources that are out there and know of their use and capabilities, allows people confronted with fire to gain a comprehensive understanding of state-of-the-art information systems and possible gaps in regional coverage of certain information.
This resource guide presents the diverse knowledge and data networks that exist online in the world of wildfires. It tries to frame the vast resources that are available and give the readers a glimpse into their contents. From on-time fire information networks, seasonal outlooks including fire danger indices, to the natural variables of drought, precipitation, air quality and smoke to more sophisticated portals that include satellite imagery, radar and observational data, and weather forecasting services. Lastly some fire weather tools and software solutions are highlighted. The last section of this document serves as a Transatlantic knowledge exchange library highlighting North American and European institutions and organisations that are dedicated to expanding and sharing knowledge on wildfires and wildland firefighting. The goal of this guide is not a complete and detailed description of all available resources, but a glimpse into the realm of wildfire information.
The Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide is the collaborative efforts of Aaron Arneke and Eric Evenson. Aaron is a masters student at the University of Bremen in Germany and a member of the Waldbrandteam). Eric is the Science Communications Specialist with the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange (NAFSE) and former Incident Meteorologist (IMET) with the National Weather Service. Their work together on this project is through the International Association of Wildland Fire's (IAWF) Mentoring Program.
