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California Fire Siege 2007 an Overview Cover Photos from Top Clockwise: the Santiago Fire Threatens a Development on October 23, 2007
CALIFORNIA FIRE SIEGE 2007 AN OVERVIEW Cover photos from top clockwise: The Santiago Fire threatens a development on October 23, 2007. (Photo credit: Scott Vickers, istockphoto) Image of Harris Fire taken from Ikhana unmanned aircraft on October 24, 2007. (Photo credit: NASA/U.S. Forest Service) A firefighter tries in vain to cool the flames of a wind-whipped blaze. (Photo credit: Dan Elliot) The American Red Cross acted quickly to establish evacuation centers during the siege. (Photo credit: American Red Cross) Opposite Page: Painting of Harris Fire by Kate Dore, based on photo by Wes Schultz. 2 Introductory Statement In October of 2007, a series of large wildfires ignited and burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Southern California. The fires displaced nearly one million residents, destroyed thousands of homes, and sadly took the lives of 10 people. Shortly after the fire siege began, a team was commissioned by CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service and OES to gather data and measure the response from the numerous fire agencies involved. This report is the result of the team’s efforts and is based upon the best available information and all known facts that have been accumulated. In addition to outlining the fire conditions leading up to the 2007 siege, this report presents statistics —including availability of firefighting resources, acreage engaged, and weather conditions—alongside the strategies that were employed by fire commanders to create a complete day-by-day account of the firefighting effort. The ability to protect the lives, property, and natural resources of the residents of California is contingent upon the strength of cooperation and coordination among federal, state and local firefighting agencies. -
Soaring Weather
Chapter 16 SOARING WEATHER While horse racing may be the "Sport of Kings," of the craft depends on the weather and the skill soaring may be considered the "King of Sports." of the pilot. Forward thrust comes from gliding Soaring bears the relationship to flying that sailing downward relative to the air the same as thrust bears to power boating. Soaring has made notable is developed in a power-off glide by a conven contributions to meteorology. For example, soar tional aircraft. Therefore, to gain or maintain ing pilots have probed thunderstorms and moun altitude, the soaring pilot must rely on upward tain waves with findings that have made flying motion of the air. safer for all pilots. However, soaring is primarily To a sailplane pilot, "lift" means the rate of recreational. climb he can achieve in an up-current, while "sink" A sailplane must have auxiliary power to be denotes his rate of descent in a downdraft or in come airborne such as a winch, a ground tow, or neutral air. "Zero sink" means that upward cur a tow by a powered aircraft. Once the sailcraft is rents are just strong enough to enable him to hold airborne and the tow cable released, performance altitude but not to climb. Sailplanes are highly 171 r efficient machines; a sink rate of a mere 2 feet per second. There is no point in trying to soar until second provides an airspeed of about 40 knots, and weather conditions favor vertical speeds greater a sink rate of 6 feet per second gives an airspeed than the minimum sink rate of the aircraft. -
Thesis Characteristics of Hailstorms and Enso
THESIS CHARACTERISTICS OF HAILSTORMS AND ENSO-INDUCED EXTREME STORM VARIABILITY IN SUBTROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA Submitted by Zachary S. Bruick Department of Atmospheric Science In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Spring 2019 Master’s Committee: Advisor: Kristen L. Rasmussen Russ S. Schumacher V. Chandrasekar Copyright by Zachary S. Bruick 2019 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT CHARACTERISTICS OF HAILSTORMS AND ENSO-INDUCED EXTREME STORM VARIABILITY IN SUBTROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA Convection in subtropical South America is known to be among the strongest anywhere in the world. Severe weather produced from these storms, including hail, strong winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding, causes significant damages to property and agriculture within the region. These in- sights are only due to the novel observations produced by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite since there are the limited ground-based observations within this region. Con- vection is unique in subtropical South America because of the synoptic and orographic processes that support the initiation and maintenance of convection here. Warm and moist air is brought into the region by the South American low-level jet from the Amazon. When the low-level jet intersects the Andean foothills and Sierras de Córdoba, this unstable air is lifted along the orography. At the same time, westerly flow subsides in the lee of the Andes, which provides a capping inversion over the region. When the orographic lift is able to erode the subsidence inversion, convective initiation occurs and strong thunderstorms develop. As a result, convection is most frequent near high terrain. -
A Satellite Case Study of a Katabatic Surge Along the Transantarctic Mountains D
This article was downloaded by: [Ohio State University Libraries] On: 07 March 2012, At: 15:04 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK International Journal of Remote Sensing Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tres20 A satellite case study of a katabatic surge along the Transantarctic Mountains D. H. BROMWICH a a Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State Universit, Columbus, Ohio, 43210, U.S.A Available online: 17 Apr 2007 To cite this article: D. H. BROMWICH (1992): A satellite case study of a katabatic surge along the Transantarctic Mountains, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 13:1, 55-66 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01431169208904025 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. -
Downloaded 10/01/21 06:40 AM UTC 3112 JOURNAL of CLIMATE VOLUME 10
DECEMBER 1997 VAN DEN BROEKE ET AL. 3111 Representation of Antarctic Katabatic Winds in a High-Resolution GCM and a Note on Their Climate Sensitivity MICHIEL R. VAN DEN BROEKE Norwegian Polar Institute, Oslo, Norway RODERIK S. W. VAN DE WAL Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands MARTIN WILD Department of Geography, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland (Manuscript received 7 October 1996, in ®nal form 25 April 1997) ABSTRACT A high-resolution GCM (ECHAM-3 T106, resolution 1.1831.18) is found to simulate many characteristic features of the Antarctic climate. The position and depth of the circumpolar storm belt, the semiannual cycle of the midlatitude westerlies, and the temperature and wind ®eld over the higher parts of the ice sheet are well simulated. However, the strength of the westerlies is overestimated, the annual latitudinal shift of the storm belt is suppressed, and the wintertime temperature and wind speed in the coastal areas are underestimated. These errors are caused by the imperfect simulation of the position of the subtropical ridge, the prescribed sea ice characteristics, and the smoothened model topography in the coastal regions. Ice shelves in the model are erroneously treated as sea ice, which leads to a serious overestimation of the wintertime surface temperature in these areas. In spite of these de®ciencies, the model results show much improvement over earlier simulations. In a climate run, the model was forced to a new equilibrium state under enhanced greenhouse conditions (IPCC scenario A, doubled CO2), which enables us to cast a preliminary look at the climate sensitivity of Antarctic katabatic winds. -
The 2007 Southern California Wildfires: Lessons in Complexity
fire The 2007 Southern California Wildfires: Lessons in Complexity s is evidenced year after year, the na- ture of the “fire problem” in south- Jon E. Keeley, Hugh Safford, C.J. Fotheringham, A ern California differs from most of Janet Franklin, and Max Moritz the rest of the United States, both by nature and degree. Nationally, the highest losses in ϳ The 2007 wildfire season in southern California burned over 1,000,000 ac ( 400,000 ha) and property and life caused by wildfire occur in included several megafires. We use the 2007 fires as a case study to draw three major lessons about southern California, but, at the same time, wildfires and wildfire complexity in southern California. First, the great majority of large fires in expansion of housing into these fire-prone southern California occur in the autumn under the influence of Santa Ana windstorms. These fires also wildlands continues at an enormous pace cost the most to contain and cause the most damage to life and property, and the October 2007 fires (Safford 2007). Although modest areas of were no exception because thousands of homes were lost and seven people were killed. Being pushed conifer forest in the southern California by wind gusts over 100 kph, young fuels presented little barrier to their spread as the 2007 fires mountains experience the same negative ef- reburned considerable portions of the area burned in the historic 2003 fire season. Adding to the size fects of long-term fire suppression that are of these fires was the historic 2006–2007 drought that contributed to high dead fuel loads and long evident in other western forests (e.g., high distance spotting. -
Introducing Katabatic Winds in Global ERA40 Fields to Simulate Their
Introducing katabatic winds in global ERA40 fields to simulate their impacts on the Southern Ocean and sea-ice Pierre Mathiot, Bernard Barnier, Hubert Gallée, Jean-Marc Molines, Julien Le Sommer, Mélanie Juza, Thierry Penduff To cite this version: Pierre Mathiot, Bernard Barnier, Hubert Gallée, Jean-Marc Molines, Julien Le Sommer, et al.. In- troducing katabatic winds in global ERA40 fields to simulate their impacts on the Southern Ocean and sea-ice. Ocean Modelling, Elsevier, 2010, 35 (3), pp.146-160. 10.1016/j.ocemod.2010.07.001. hal-00570152 HAL Id: hal-00570152 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00570152 Submitted on 13 Feb 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Introducing katabatic winds in global ERA40 fields to simulate their impacts on the Southern Ocean and sea-ice Pierre Mathiot a,d,*, Bernard Barnier a, Hubert Gallée b, Jean Marc Molines a, Julien Le Sommer a, Mélanie Juza a, Thierry Penduff a,c a LEGI UMR5519, CNRS, UJF, Grenoble, France b LGGE UMR5183, CNRS, UJF, Grenoble, France c FSU, Department of Oceanography, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States d TECLIM, Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain la Neuve, Belgium A medium resolution (10–20 km around Antarctica) global ocean/sea-ice model is used to evaluate the impact of katabatic winds on sea-ice and hydrography. -
Exhibit 18 Ro-6-151
EXHIBIT 18 RO-6-151 1921 University Ave. ▪ Berkeley, CA 94704 ▪ Phone 510-629-4930 ▪ Fax 510-550-2639 Chris Lautenberger [email protected] 12 April 2018 Dan Silver, Executive Director Endangered Habitats League 8424 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite A 592 Los Angeles, CA 90069-4267 Subject: Fire risk impacts of Otay Ranch Village 14 and Planning Areas 16/19 Project Dear Mr. Silver, At your request I have reviewed the Fire Protection Plan (FPP) for the planned Otay Ranch Village 14 and Planning Areas 16/19 Project and analyzed potential fire/life safety impacts of this planned development. Santa Ana winds Santa Ana winds (or Santa Anas for short) present major fire/life safety concerns for the Otay Ranch Village 14 and Planning Areas 16/19 Project. Santa Anas are hot and dry winds that blow through Southern California each year, usually between the months of October and April. Santa Anas occur when high pressure forms in the Great Basin (Western Utah, much of Nevada, and the Eastern border of California) with lower pressure off the coast of Southern California. This pressure gradient drives airflow toward the Pacific Ocean. As air travels West from the Great Basin, orographic lift dries the air as it rises in elevation over mountain ranges. As air descends from high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, its temperature rises dramatically (~5 °F per 1000 ft decrease in elevation). A subsequent drop in relative humidity accompanies this rise in temperature. This drying/heating phenomenon is known as a katabatic wind. Relative humidity in Southern California during Santa Anas is often 10% or lower. -
Influence of Orographic Precipitation on the Co-Evolution of Landforms and Vegetation
EGU2020-5280, updated on 26 Sep 2021 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5280 EGU General Assembly 2020 © Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Influence of orographic precipitation on the co-evolution of landforms and vegetation Ankur Srivastava1, Omer Yetemen2, Nikul Kumari1, and Patricia M. Saco1 1University of Newcastle, University of Newcastle, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Callaghan, Australia ([email protected]) 2Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Topography plays an important role in controlling the amount and the spatial distribution of precipitation due to orographic lift mechanisms. Thus, it affects the existing climate and vegetation distribution. Recent landscape modelling efforts show how the orographic effects on precipitation result in the development of asymmetric topography. However, these modelling efforts do not include vegetation dynamics that inhibits sediment transport. Here, we use the CHILD landscape evolution model (LEM) coupled with a vegetation dynamics component that explicitly tracks above- and below-ground biomass. We ran the model under three scenarios. A spatially‑uniform precipitation scenario, a scenario with increasing rainfall as a function of elevation, and another one that includes rain shadow effects in which leeward hillslopes receive less rainfall than windward ones. Preliminary results of the model show that competition between increased shear stress due to increased runoff and vegetation protection affects the shape of the catchment. Hillslope asymmetry between polar- and equator-facing hillslopes is enhanced (diminished) when rainfall coincides with a windward (leeward) side of the mountain range. It acts to push the divide (i.e., the boundary between leeward and windward flanks) and leads to basin reorganization through reach capture. -
CAL FIRE Mobilizing for Santa Ana Winds
CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CONTACT: Duty Information Officer RELEASE October 20, (916) 651-FIRE (3473) DATE: 2017 @CALFIRE_PIO CAL FIRE Mobilizing for Santa Ana Winds SACRAMENTO – After one of the deadliest and most destructive weeks in California’s history, firefighters are preparing for another significant wind event in Southern California. The National Weather service has issued several Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches across Southern California starting this weekend through early next week due to gusty winds, low humidity and high temperatures. In response to these anticipated conditions, CAL FIRE is increasing its staffing levels with additional firefighters, fire engines, fire crews, and aircraft to respond to any new wildfires. “This is traditionally the time of year when we see these strong Santa Ana winds,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of CAL FIRE. “and with an increased risk for wildfires, our firefighters are ready. Not only do we have state, federal and local fire resources, but we have additional military aircraft on the ready. Firefighters from other states, as well as Australia, are here and ready to help in case a new wildfire ignites.” The weather warnings stretch from Santa Barbara, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. The winds are expected to reach gusts of up to 50 mph, along with record breaking heat, fire danger in these areas is high. It is vital that the public use caution when outside and avoid activities that may spark a new fire. Any new fires can spread rapidly under these types of weather conditions. -
Original Signed By. Kris Cook
STATE OF CALIFORNIA Budget Change Proposal - Cover Sheet DF-46(REV 08/17) Fiscal Year Business Unit Department Priority No. FY 2019-20 4260 Health Care Services Budget Request Name Program Subprogram 4260-402-BCP-2019-MR 3960 3960050 Budget Request Description SUD Emerging Epidemics, Disaster Response and Licensing Workload Budget Request Summary The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Substance Use Disorder Compliance Division (SUDCD), requests 7.0 permanent positions and expenditure authority of $1,060,000 (100% Residential and Outpatient Program Licensing Fund (ROPLF)), in fiscal year (FY) 2019-20, to address the increased workload of responding to: 1) natural disasters and other State Emergencies; 2) the opioid epidemic; 3) the resurgence of methamphetamine abuse; and 4) the rise in number of treatment facilities. In addition, DHCS requests a one-time expense of $100,000 from General Fund (GF) to migrate DHCS's disaster collection and reporting process into the web-based reporting platform, NC4 through an interagency agreement with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Requires Legislation Code Section(s) to be Added/Amended/Repealed • Yes • No Does this BCP contain information technology (IT) Department QIC Date components? • Yes El No If yes, departmental Chief Information Officer must sign. For IT requests, specify the project number, the most recent project approval document (FSR, SPR, S1BA, S2AA, S3SD, S4PRA), and the approval date. Project No. Project Approval Document: Approval Date: If proposal affects another department, does other department concur with proposal? • Yes • No Attach comments of affected department, signed and dated by the department director or designee. -
USGS Publication Brief on Above Paper
Western Ecological Research Center Publication Brief for Resource Managers Release: Contact: Phone: Email and web page: January 2009 Dr. Jon E. Keeley 559-565-3170 [email protected] http://www.werc.usgs.gov/seki/keeley.asp Sequoia and Kings Canyon Field Station, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, 47050 Generals Highway #4, Three Rivers, CA 93271 Causes of Large Shrubland Wildfires Large and damaging wildfires are a major concern to Management Implications: the growing population in southern California. Some • Large, high-intensity wildfires are a natural fea- scientists contend that the historical fire regime was ture of southern California landscapes and are not characterized by frequent, small to moderate size, directly the result of past fire suppression activities. slow-moving smoldering fires and it has been disrupted • Large fires over 25,000 acres have not increased in by fire suppression activities, resulting in unnatural frequency over the past 125 years of record. fuel accumulation and unusually large and catastrophic • Baja California is sometimes proposed as a model wildfires. This is of critical management concern be- for southern California fire regimes if fire suppres- cause these advocates contend that large, high-intensity sion were abandoned, but this is discounted on numerous grounds. • Anomalously long droughts have been unusually frequent in the latter half of the 20th century and a major factor behind an unusual number of mega- fires in recent years. • Fuel treatments designed to maintain young age classes of shrublands will not provide reliable bar- riers to fire spread; however, strategic placement may benefit fire suppression activities. • Increasing community responsibility in locating and constructing new homes and more attention to fire prevention are likely to be avenues for the greatest decreases in community vulnerability to wildfires.