Presenter: Adam Kochanski, Associate Professor, San Jose State University WIRC

Description: This presentation delves into the interactions between fire behavior and atmospheric conditions, focusing on the interplay between convective plumes, wind patterns, and fire-induced weather changes. It leverages uncoupled and coupled fire-atmosphere modeling approaches to highlight how fires can alter local weather conditions, affecting fire propagation. Key case studies, including the Thomas Fire and Creek Fire, illustrate the varying impacts of wind-driven and plume-dominated fires on wind patterns, precipitation, and fire spread. The presentation also examines the unique dynamics observed during the Lahaina Fire, where fire-induced changes in wind patterns influenced the fire's lateral growth. The presentation underscores the importance of coupled modeling in understanding and predicting fire behavior through detailed simulations and observational data, ultimately contributing to more effective wildfire management strategies.

Bio: Dr. Adam Kochanski is an associate professor at San José State University, leading the modeling group at the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center. He earned his M.Eng in Chemical Engineering and MBA from the Technical University of Lodz in Poland, followed by a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Kochanski's research focuses on fire-atmosphere interactions, emphasizing fire behavior and the air quality impacts of wildland fires. He is a co-developer of the coupled fire-atmosphere model WRF-SFIRE, the integrated fire and air quality system WRF-SFIRE-CHEM, and the fire forecasting system WRFx with extensive experience in fire data assimilation, fuel moisture modeling, and executing numerical simulations of fire and smoke, on high-performance computing platforms. His research interests focus on improving our understanding of how fires interact with the atmosphere across spatial and temporal scales, and how they create their own weather. The overarching goal of his work is advancing fire and smoke forecasting capabilities and implementing the latest research into operational practice. His research is focused on advancing predictive capabilities and enhancing community resilience in the face of wildfires. Dr. Kochanski is one of the modeling leads for the Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE), a recipient of the Fulbright scholarship, and an author of over 50 scientific publications.

Hosted by: Applied Mathematics Department 
Location: BE 372