Fire Weather:

Temperature &
Moisture
 Weather and the Earths Heat
Balance
Weather = motion in the atmosphere due to unequal heating
Over time, the amount of energy lost and received by the
atmosphere must be in balance
But, the atmosphere is not in balance
Attempt to regain balance disturbance weather
 Components of Weather
Temperature & Moisture
Atmospheric Stability
Winds
Masses & Fronts
Clouds & T-Storms
 SURFACE HEAT EXCHANGE
Solar radiation: heats air directly 0.5-1 F/day (depending on water
vapor)
Conduction: Air heated (or cooled) through contact with Earths
surface
Convection: warm air rises, cooler air falls (mixing)
Cooling at night: Radiation, conduction, convection

DAY NIGHT
 Rising air expands and cools.
Sinking air is compressed & warmed

Air Air
Rising Falling
 Factors affecting the Earths
surface temperature
Season Shading/scattering
angle of sun, day length clouds, smoke, haze, vegetation
Topography Absorption
slope, aspect clouds, water vapor
Surface properties
 Effect of vegetation on air
temperatures (moderating influence)
Intercepts radiation
Green foliage
greater reflection
Type of vegetation
shrub, tree, grass
Density (canopy cover)

* Temperatures in forest = 5-8 F cooler than open

areas (warmer during the night)
 Effect of vegetation on air temperatures

Openings = warm pockets (chimney effect)

 Effects of surface properties on
temperature
Absorption and reflection: dark vs. light
Dark materials absorb more radiation
Light materials reflect radiation
Transparent vs. opaque materials
Transparent materials allow radiation
penetrate deeper layers (water)
Opaque materials concentrate radiation at the
surface (soil, litter)
 Surface properties continued
Conductivity
Good conductors transmit heat rapidly to the interior

wood/litter metal air water soil

4 1 5 2 3

Dry vs. wet soils?

Compact soil vs. porous duff?

Poor conductors = hotter during the day and cooler at

night (example dry wood with frost)
Good conductors = moderating influence, less
temperature change (example lake water)
Surface properties continued
Heat capacity - definition
The capacity of a material to contain, hold, or
absorb heat
The amount of heat required to raise the
temperature
Water VS. soil, rocks, wood, litter
Water has higher HC (and good conductor, high
transparency)
Water requires large amounts of heat to raise its
temperature; but loses and gains heat slowly
Soil, rocks, wood, litter: Low HC
How does heating and cooling
differ between these materials?
Vegetation high reflectance
Dark surfaces high absorption

Water high conductance

high heat capacity
high transparency (heat transferred
to deep er layers)

Dark dry soil low conductance,

(opaque) high absorption,
low heat capacity
opaque (concentrates heat
near surface)

Air low conductivity

Metal high conductivity
 Moisture & Weather
Moisture in the atmosphere is continually
changing its physical state:

Solid Liquid Gas

(ice) (water) (vapor)

Heat Energy Required (Melting, Evaporation) = cooling

Heat Energy Released (Condensation, Freezing) = warming

 Atmospheric Humidity
Absolute humidity:
The amount of water vapor in a given volume of air

Relative humidity:
The ratio of the amount of water in a volume of air to the total
amount of which that volume can hold at a given temperature
and atmospheric pressure.

= actual amount of water x 100

total amount the air can hold

* RH VARIES WITH TEMPERATURE!!!

*** Warm air can hold more water
 Saturation and Dew Point
Saturation
when the air contains all the water vapor that it can
hold
Dew point
The temperature to which air must be cooled to reach
its saturation point
Further cooling will cause condensation to occur
(clouds, fog, dew)
For an air mass with a given amount of water
content, dew point remains the same even if
temperature changes
 Psychrometer
Instrument used to measure atmospheric
moisture 2 thermometers:
Dry bulb measures air temperature
Web bulb measures temperature of
evaporating water from a muslin wicking clot
Use tables to determine:
Dew-point temperature
RH