Temporal and spatial structure in a daily wildfire-start data set from the western United States (198696)

Bartlein, P. J.; Hostetler, S. W.; Shafer, S. L.; Holman, J. O.; Solomon, A. M.

Abstract:

The temporal and spatial structure of 332 404 daily fire-start records from the western United States for the period 1986 through 1996 is illustrated using several complimentary visualisation techniques. We supplement maps and time series plots with Hovmo??ller diagrams that reduce the spatial dimensionality of the daily data in order to reveal the underlying space?time structure. The mapped distributions of all lightning- and human-started fires during the 11-year interval show similar first-order patterns that reflect the broad-scale distribution of vegetation across the West and the annual cycle of climate. Lightning-started fires are concentrated in the summer half-year and occur in widespread outbreaks that last a few days and reflect coherent weather-related controls. In contrast, fires started by humans occur throughout the year and tend to be concentrated in regions surrounding large-population centres or intensive-agricultural areas. Although the primary controls of human-started fires are their location relative to burnable fuel and the level of human activity, spatially coherent, weather-related variations in their incidence can also be noted. ?? IAWF 2008.

Genre:

Article

ProdID:

70033601

Citation Author:

Bartlein, P. J.; Hostetler, S. W.; Shafer, S. L.; Holman, J. O.; Solomon, A. M.

Citation Contributing Office:

Citation Datum:

Citation Day:

Citation Edition:

Citation Editor:

Citation End Page:

Citation Issue:

Citation Keywords:

Citation Language:

English

Citation Larger Work Title:

International Journal of Wildland Fire

Citation LatN:

Citation LatS:

Citation LonE:

Citation LonW:

Citation Month:

Citation No Pagination:

Citation Number Of Pages:

Citation Online Only Flag:

Citation Phsyical Description:

Citation Projection:

Citation Public Comments:

Citation Publisher:

Citation Series:

Citation Series Code:

Citation Series Number:

Citation Search Results Text:

Temporal and spatial structure in a daily wildfire-start data set from the western United States (198696); 2008; Article; Journal; International Journal of Wildland Fire; Bartlein, P. J.; Hostetler, S. W.; Shafer, S. L.; Holman, J. O.; Solomon, A. M.