The correlation between wildfires and terrain

1. The correlation between wildfires and terrain By Dominic, Clara, Malina, Carol, & Tayla

2. Testable Question • How does land structure affect the longevity and speed of a fire when the fire is started in the middle of the structure?

3. Variables • Independent Variable: • Land structure (plain, mountain, or valley) • Dependent Variables: • How long the fire burns before it goes out • How long it takes for every match to catch on fire • Controlled Variables: • Weather was controlled in this experiment by placing the peg boards underneath the hood where humidity, wind, and temperature were all the same when the pegboards were initially placed in the hood.Each peg board contained 26 matched and spread out approximately the same.Each of the peg boards were approximately the same length and height.The fires were each started in the very middle of the infrastructure.The slope for mountain and valley were the same. The top of the boards were lifted 2.5 inches above the ground.The number of trials per structure was the same.

4. Context Fire kills more people each year than any other force of nature and five million acres in the US burn annually, which makes research on fire especially significant. When considering the origins of a wildfire, it is important to note that wildfires usually start naturally from lightning or volcanoes, although this only accounts for 10% of wildfires. 90% of wildfires are human caused, such as from cigarettes or campfires not put out properly. In our experiment, we will have various types of terrain connected to see how fast fire burns at various origin points. We will test it on a Plateau, Valley, and a Mountain-type terrain. We will use the peg-boards set up in various positions and slopes to simulate these structures without considering weather conditions or material being burned.

5. Experiment Layout* Valley Mountain (Down) Plain *Angles and sizes not to scale.

6. Background Research • Fires travel upwards because heat rises. • This also means that fire travels faster the steeper the slope if it is heading up the slope. • The heat rising also serves to preheat the fuel farther up the slope because the smoke and heat travels up the hill, making it easier for fuel sources to burn when the fire reaches it.

7. Hypothesis • If the fire is started in a valley setting then it will travel fastest and burn out more quickly, because fire tends to travel faster when moving uphill. Therefore, if the fire is started on the mountain, then it will travel slowest and will have the longest duration.

8. Initial Results

9. Initial Results

10. Conclusion • The valley burned the fastest and the mountain burned the slowest and the longest confirming most of our hypothesis, however the the plain had a shorter longevity than the valley, contradicting our hypothesis, as we thought the valley would have the shortest longevity. In order for us to fully understand how land structures effect the speed and longevity of fire, we need to carry out further research.  We would like to create similar models to the ones we used to collect the initial data on a much larger scale. There would still be a valley, plain, and mountain landscape, but they will be built larger and more realistically. 

11. Proposal • We are asking for $75,000. • We will build a small biosphere approximately the size of a classroom that simulates each of the various terrains individually. • We estimate that each biosphere will cost approximately $5,000 to build, and we will replace it after each trial. • We are conducting five trials for each terrain type.

12. Bibliography • Harris, T. (2002, May 14). How Fire Works. HowStuffWorks. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm • Science and Innovation - Forest Fires. (n.d.). Science and Innovation - Forest Fires. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.borealforest.org/world/innova/forest_fire.htm • States. National Park Service. (n.d.). Wildland Fire: Wildfire Causes | U.S. National Park Service. National Parks Service. Retrieved February 21, 2014, from http://www.nps.gov/fire/wildland-fire/learning-center/fire-in-depth/wildfire-causes.cfm