Grantee Research Project Results
2002 Progress Report: Climatic and Human Impacts on Fire Regimes in Forests and Grasslands of the U.S. Southwest
EPA Grant Number: R828732Title: Climatic and Human Impacts on Fire Regimes in Forests and Grasslands of the U.S. Southwest
Investigators: Morehouse, Barbara J. , Orr, Barron J. , Christopherson, Gary L. , Yool, Stephen R. , Overpeck, Jonathan T. , Swetnam, Thomas W.
Institution: University of Arizona
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: November 1, 2000 through October 1, 2003
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2001 through October 1, 2002
Project Amount: $1,260,993
RFA: Assessing the Consequences of Interactions between Human Activities and a Changing Climate (2000) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Climate Change , Air
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to improve forest/grassland ecosystem health and sustainability through better understanding of the consequences of interactions among human factors, climate, biophysical processes, and fire in the U.S. Southwest.
Progress Summary:
We developed five data sets on historic fire events and a fire-scar fire history database. These data sets form the basis of a Web tool that will allow users to access and download the data. Fuels research has focused on developing an overall grid system that will be used to spatially coregister products produced within the project. For example, we have used this common-geometry prototype to develop ignition history maps and fuel moisture maps; the latter was derived from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. With regard to climate, correlations between fire and climate have uncovered important climate variables/lags; these lags are being used in regression modeling efforts for the project and to guide AVHRR image selection, to capture important fuel moisture/climate relationships.
The human dimensions/geographic information systems (GIS) component of the project has developed a standard spatial data format based on a grid of 1,000 m x 1,000 m vector-based polygons. These polygons spatially match the AVHRR data and allow for easy georeferencing of all spatial data used in the model. The format also fits our minimum mapping unit and allows coverage of large areas with small, efficient file sizes, thus speeding up processing. We are making considerable progress on developing GIS-able use-values on public lands based on distance and visibility measures. We have developed a very useful interview protocol and are currently conducting interviews that will allow us to develop map layers representing qualitative factors important to community members and decisionmakers.
In the policy arena, we are developing a series of profiles of key laws and policies that may affect fire and ecosystem-related decisions in the study areas. These policies will be linked to the model and will be profiled more fully on the project’s Web site. Providing a link among all the submodules described above, and development of the Web applications for the integrated model has proceeded rapidly. The Web site now features an excellent structure in terms of organization, navigation, labeling, and search systems. Significant accomplishments include the development of specific tools that allow Web users to manipulate the data layers produced as part of the research project. We now have an online, real-time Web site content modification tool for the project’s research teams. We have designed the underlying Microsoft SQL Server database that underlies the content, and we have published new content including new maps of the four study areas. The information architecture of the Web site allows hierarchical and thematic navigation by users. An ArcIMS Map Server was set up, and a Web applications database was established. A dynamic animation tool has been prototyped for the project and is available on the Web. Another set of accomplishments includes the automation of staging of AVHRR Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from the Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center, automating the staging of NDVI specifically for the dynamic animation tool, reprocessing all data from 1989 to present to account for a new "water vapor correction" algorithm, the evaluation of Terra satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer products, and the operation of the fire-climate time-lag data fore each venue. This latter effort anticipates eventual design of a Web-based tool that will demonstrate these relationships.
Future Activities:
We will complete work on the submodules and will combine the submodules, into the integrated model. We will then proceed with alpha and beta testing, relying on representatives of scientific and fire management communities, and on community members in our study areas. We will follow these tests with stakeholder workshops in Arizona and New Mexico, then focus on producing our final report and other publications from the project. These will be published in a variety of venues, including those used by community members as well as peer-reviewed publications.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 70 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
land, soil, watersheds, precipitation, climate, risk, ecological effects, vulnerability, animal, population, stressor, cumulative effects, ecosystem, indicators, scaling, terrestrial, habitat, integrated model, innovative technology, public policy, decisionmaking, community-based, cost, nonmarket valuation, survey, preferences, sociological, spatial, temporal, geographical, geographic information systems, GIS, remote sensing, modeling, monitoring, surveys, fire ecology, fire history, fuels assessment, fire, society, southwest, AZ, Arizona, NM, New Mexico, Jemez Mountains, Santa Catalina Mountains, Rincon Mountains, Chiricahua Mountains, Huachuca Mountains, urban, wildland, wildfire, urban-wildland interface, forestry, recreation, tourism., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Geographic Area, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Southwest, Ecology, Environmental Chemistry, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Ecosystem Protection, climate change, State, Forestry, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, ecological exposure, logging, environmental monitoring, human impacts, biodiversity, New Mexico (NM), fire models, recreatioonal stress, grasslands, ecological impacts, climate impacts, Arizona (AZ), climate models, fire regimes, forests, environmental stressors, GIS, fire regimes in forests and grasslands, climate variabilityRelevant Websites:
http://www.esri.com/library/userconf/archive.html Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.