@article {bnh-4204, title = {Coupled fire-atmosphere modelling project: annual project report 2016-17}, number = {307}, year = {2017}, month = {09/2017}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The goal of the project is to improve understanding of fire and atmosphere interactions and feedback processes by running a coupled fire-atmosphere simulation model.\  Planned outcomes of the project include: preparation of meteorological and simulation case studies of significant fire events, installation and testing of a coupled model on the national computing infrastructure and preparation of training material to support operational implementation of research findings.

Weather forecasting and fire prediction are similar in that skilled practitioners of both rely on a combination of detailed scientific knowledge and objective analysis, juxtaposed with pattern recognition that draws on past experience and a mental inventory of previous events.\ \  By preparing detailed case studies and coupled simulations of events where unexpected or unusual fire-atmosphere interactions occurred, we contribute to both the scientific understanding for fire{\textendash}atmosphere interactions and the knowledge base of operational meteorologists and fire analysts.

The project started in March 2016, and work for the first year and a quarter has been on two main fronts; a case study of the Waroona fire and implementing the coupled fire-atmosphere model ACCESS-Fire.

The Waroona fire in Western Australia in January 2016 was selected as the first case study. It was a complex event, with \ significant impacts including the destruction of the town of Yarloop. A detailed paper on the Waroona fire has been prepared and the manuscript submitted to the Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems and Science (JSHESS). The paper is expected to be published by late 2017. The paper is the result of a collaborative effort between Department of Parks and Wildlife, WA and research and operational representatives from the Bureau of Meteorology. The work has been presented at a number of forums and has been accepted for oral presentation at two major conferences in late 2017.

Progress with the coupled model ACCESS-Fire (ACCESS is the Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator) has been slower than anticipated, but significant headway has been made. ACCESS high resolution nested suites are now running on the project space on the National Computing Infrastructure. Importantly, the framework is more generic than the original code and can be easily re-configured to relocate and run for a new event anywhere in Australia. The nested suites are now running successfully in the advanced graphical user interface "Rose-Cylc" which will receive ongoing support and development from the UK Met Office. The fire code has been implemented on the JULES land-surface scheme and final testing is in progress.

}, issn = {307}, author = {Jeffrey Kepert and Mika Peace and Harvey Ye} }