Characteristics of large lightning fires in the Olympic Mountains, Washington

Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Entity_and_Attribute_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Mark H. Huff and James K. Agee

Publication_Date: 1980

Title:

Characteristics of large lighning fires in the Olympic Mountains, Washington

Series_Information:

Series_Name:

Fire and Forest Meteorology Conference Proceedings 6

Issue_Identification: Sixth proceedings: pp 117-123

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Seattle, WA

Publisher: Conference on Fire and Forest Meteorology

Description:

Abstract:

Climatic characteristics of large lighning fires in the Olympic National Park are described. This study also examines the relation of the climatic variables to the number of hectares burned and discusses the 19778 Hoh Fire.

Purpose:

The objective of this study is to describe climatic characteristics of large lightning fires in Olympic National Park.

Supplemental_Information:

The geographic coordinates for this study are the coordinates of the Olympic Peninsula, estimated from as USGS 1:24000 map. For exact coordinates of the study sites, please contact the author.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 1916

Ending_Date: 1978

Currentness_Reference: Observed

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None Planned

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent: Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -124.7

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -122.6

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 48.4

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.9

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Theme_Keyword: lightning fire

Theme_Keyword: climate

Theme_Keyword: rainfall

Theme_Keyword: precipitation

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Place_Keyword: USA

Place_Keyword: Washington

Place_Keyword: Olympic Peninsula

Place_Keyword: Olympic Mountains

Stratum:

Stratum_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Temporal:

Temporal_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Access_Constraints: Must contact author for data

Use_Constraints:

Must cite author if data is used in publications or reports

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Dr. James K. Agee

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Position: Professor of Forest Ecology

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: University of Washington

Address: Box 352100

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: Wa

Postal_Code: 98195-2100

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206/543-2688

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 206/543-3254

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jagee@u.washington.edu

Data_Set_Credit: None

Security_Information:

Security_Classification_System: None

Security_Classification: Unclassified

Security_Handling_Description: None

Analytical_Tool:

Analytical_Tool_Description: Minitab II (Ryan et al. 1976)

Tool_Access_Information:

Tool_Contact:

Tool_Citation:

Data_Quality_Information:

Lineage:

Methodology:

Methodology_Type: Lab

Methodology_Identifier:

Methodology_Keyword_Thesaurus: None

Methodology_Keyword: climate data analysis

Methodology_Description:

Precipitation data from 1922 - 1978 was gathered for nine weather stations on the periphery of Olympic National Park. Climatological records for Washington State were obtained from the Environmental Data Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce. A maximum of seven stations were used in the data analysis. Spruce and Seattle (Univ. of Washington) served as alternates when information from other stations was unavailable. The dates of large lightning fires were examined for the five climatic factors under investigation. The records for each date for the weather stations were averaged together, since the means reflect regional climatic variations better than records from individual stations (Fritts 1976, Brubaker 1980). Only the means were employed in the data analysis. The five climatic factors of these large lightning fires were then compared to the same climatic factors for a simulated fire date in a non- lightning lire year. The simulated fire season of July 12th to September 11th was determined by the fourteen large lightning fires in Olympic National Park from. 1916 - 1978. Within a stratified random sample fourteen fire dates were simulated in non-lightning fire years. Six fires in July and August plus two in September were chosen to match the natural, large lightning fire occurrence in the park. The IRANDOM program from Minitab II (Ryan et al. 1976) computed random numbers representing the day and year for a simulated fire date.

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Assumptions of normality and homogeneous variances were examined by plotting data points against rankit values, and Bartlett's test for homogeneity of variances (Sokal and Rohlf 1969). Data sets not meeting these assumptions were transformed by natural logarithms. Analysis of variance was employed to compare the mean climatic variables from large lightning fires to simulated fires. Correlation analysis evaluated the relationship between climatic variables and area burned from large lightning fires. The following constraints and assumptions were developed for data collection and analysis: 1. Different aspects of precipitation the only variables investigated in this study. 2. A large lightning fire is defined as a fire greater than 0.5 ha in size. Large lightning fires are the only natural fires used in this study. 3. Individual fire records were not examined for suppression activities; however, the influence of man on the size of lightning fires at Olympic National Park, once they are larger than 0.5 ha, is thought to have been minimal even though suppression has been vigorously pursued. 4. Simulated fires were randomly chosen between 1925 - 1976. A simulated fire could not occur in a lightning fire year. 5. A climatic variable is a calculated mean from all weather stations for each fire. Mean precipitation values gathered from several reporting stations are an accurate representation of major weather patterns moving over the Olympic Peninsula. 6. Significant rainfall is defined as greater than or equal to 0.25 cm. 7. The number of months and years of below normal rainfall does not include the month and year of the fire respectively. 8. The number of consecutive days without precipitation after a lightning or simulated fire includes the day of the fire and the first day of significant rainfall. 9. The number of consecutive days without precipitation before a lightning or simulated fire includes the last day of significant rainfall before ignition, but does not include the day of the fire. 10. For statistical purposes all lightning fires within 31 days of a previous lightning fire were considered part of the first fire. Therefore the first ignition was used as the fire date in data collection. 11. A simulated fire did not occur on a day of significant rainfall at more than one recording station. (On the ignition date of large lightning fires rarely did any stations report significant rainfall.) 12. The number of hectares burned for a lightning fire date is the total hectares burned by all ignitions on that date.

Process_Date: 1979

Process_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Dr. James K. Agee

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Position: Professor of Forest Ecology

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: University of Washington

Address: Box 352100

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: Wa

Postal_Code: 98195-2100

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206/543-2688

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 206/543-3254

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jagee@u.washington.edu

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: Dr. James K. Agee

Contact_Organization: University of Washington

Contact_Position: Professor of Forest Ecology

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: University of Washington

Address: Box 352100

City: Seattle

State_or_Province: Wa

Postal_Code: 98195-2100

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 206/543-2688

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 206/543-3254

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jagee@u.washington.edu

Resource_Description: journal article

Standard_Order_Process:

Non-digital_Form:

Article may be obtained from libraries or through interlibrary loan.

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 19990316

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: Olympic Natural Resources Center

Contact_Position: GIS Specialist

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing Address

Address: PO Box 1628

City: Forks

State_or_Province: WA

Postal_Code: 98331

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 360.374.3220 x258

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 360.374.3336

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: onrc@u.washington.edu

Hours_of_Service: M-F 8-5

Contact_Instructions: Email preferred

Metadata_Standard_Name:

Content Standards for National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version:

NBII Draft of December 1995, Based FGDC of June 8, 1994

Metadata_Access_Constraints: None

Metadata_Use_Constraints: None

Metadata_Security_Information:

Metadata_Security_Classification_System: None

Metadata_Security_Classification: Unclassified

Metadata_Security_Handling_Description: None