Fine-resolution mapping of wildfire fuel types for Canada: Fuzzy logic modeling for an Alberta pilot area

The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) is used daily across Canada for evaluating forest fire danger. Fuel-type information is one of the inputs required by the models used in the CFFDRS. In this project, three fuel-type maps with a 25 m resolution were produced for a pilot study area located in Alberta using land cover only; land cover and biomass; and, land cover, biomass and leaf area index data derived from satellite imagery. The relationships between inputs and fuel types were determined mainly by the opinions of forest fire scientists and incorporated into a computer program using fuzzy set methodology. Not all the CFFDRS fuel types could be distinguished using these inputs; three of the coniferous types had to be grouped into one common fuel type. Overall accuracy was between 74 and 83% based on ground-truth comparisons. The most accurate map resulted from land cover and biomass data. Detailed accuracy assessment indicated that the overall accuracy increased up to 86% if ambiguous fuel type identification was considered. No combination of inputs was able to define a fuel type with absolute certainty, which is a reflection of differing expert opinions and the small number of inputs used to produce the maps.     

Cancer and Non-Cancer Health Risk from Eating Cassava Grown in Some Mining Communities in Ghana

Food crops such as cassava, cocoyam and other tuber crops grown in mining communities uptake toxic or hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, and cadmium, from the soil. Cassava is a stable food for Ghanaians. This study evaluated human health risk from eating cassava grown in some mining communities in Ghana such as Bogoso, Prestea, Tarkwa and Tamso, which are important mining towns in the Western Region of Ghana. The study evaluated cancer and non-cancer health effects from eating cassava grown in the study areas in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Assessment guidelines. The results of the study revealed the following: cancer health risk for Tamso, 0.098 (RME – Reasonable Maximum Exposure) and 0.082 (CTE – Central Tendency Exposure). This means that approximately 10 and 8 out of 100 resident adults are likely to suffer from cancer related cases by RME and CTE parameters respectively. For Prestea, we have 0.010 and 0.12, which also means that approximately 1 out of 100 and 10 resident adults out of 100 are also likely to suffer from cancer related diseases by RME and CTE parameters. The results of the study obtained were found to be above the acceptable cancer risk range of 1× 10⁻⁶ to 1× 10⁻⁴, i.e., 1 case of cancer out of 1 million or 100,000 people respectively.     

Great Basin Land Management Planning Using Ecological Modeling

This report describes a land management modeling effort that analyzed potential impacts of proposed actions under an updated Bureau of Land Management Resource Management Plan that will guide management for 20 years on 4.6 million hectares in the Great Basin ecoregion of the United States. State-and-transition models that included vegetation data, fire histories, and many parameters (i.e., rates of succession, fire return intervals, outcomes of management actions, and invasion rates of native and nonnative invasive species) were developed through workshops with scientific experts and range management specialists. Alternative restoration scenarios included continuation of current management, full fire suppression, wildfire use in designated fire use zones, wildfire use in resilient vegetation types only, restoration with a tenfold budget increase, no restoration treatments, and no livestock grazing. Under all the scenarios, cover of vegetation states with native perennial understory declined and was replaced by tree-invaded and weed-dominated states. The greatest differences among alternative management scenarios resulted from the use of fire as a tool to maintain native understory. Among restoration scenarios, only the scenario assuming a tenfold budget increase had a more desirable outcome than the current management scenario. Removal of livestock alone had little effect on vegetation resilience. Rather, active restoration was required. The predictive power of the model was limited by current understanding of Great Basin vegetation dynamics and data needs including statistically valid monitoring of restoration treatments, invasiveness and invasibility, and fire histories. The authors suggest that such computer models can be useful tools for systematic analysis of potential impacts in land use planning. However, for a modeling effort to be productive, the management situation must be conducive to open communication among land management agencies and partner entities, including nonprofit organizations.     

火源位置对L型管廊电缆火灾影响规律的数值模拟研究

选取某城市L型综合管廊电缆舱为研究对象,采用FDS数值模拟软件研究了不同火源位置对L型管廊电缆火灾温度纵向衰减规律、烟气浓度分布规律及烟气危害性的影响。研究结果表明,L型廊道构型影响了不同火源位置的管廊电缆火灾最高温度纵向衰减的连续性,基于热边界层理论提出了适用于L型管廊的二维平面最高温度纵向衰减模型。基于峰宽时间计算了L型管廊火灾的烟气总危害性参数,不同火源位置的烟气危害性总在靠近管廊节点位置处最低。这些结果可对综合管廊的消防设计与火灾防控提供参考。     

基于无人机多传感吊舱系统的火点实时定位方法

林火定位是林火智能监测设备的核心技术。提出了一种基于激光雷达、红外热像仪及组合惯导多数据融合的火点定位方法。首先设计了一个通用的无人机吊舱系统,并基于ROS框架实现数据采集、数据处理和数据传输等功能;其次提出了一个基于无人机吊舱系统的火点全局定位方案,根据红外热像仪成像特性识别火点,同时将密集点云与红外图像进行数据融合,估计出火点的三维空间位置;然后根据无人机位姿提出了一种基于墨卡托投影的火点全局定位方案,得到了火点的GPS位置。最后通过试验得到了该方案的全局定位精度：在实验中经度最大误差为2.36×10^-5°,纬度最大误差为1.84×10^-5°,高程最大误差为0.926 1 m,为其他林火定位方案提供了技术支持。     

基于回归分析的火灾发生气象因子的研究

利用二元回归分析法,对火灾发生次数、空气湿度、风速进行回归分析并检验,得出了火灾发生次数、空气湿度、风速三者之间的显著线性关系。     

森林消防人员防烟面罩技术探讨及应用

阐述了森林消防防烟面罩的研制及其改进过程,介绍了森林消防防烟面罩的主要技术经济指标及野外应用试验。     

突发事件现场警戒区域的研究

阐述了事故危险区域、现场警戒区域的基本概念、设置目的和原则,提出将突发事故现场警戒区域分为三层,分别对应现场封锁线、警戒封锁线和交通封锁线,并就吸入毒性危害物质泄漏、燃气泄漏、建筑物火灾等事故,制定了具体的设置方法。现场警戒区域的设定,可在较小成本投入的前提下,通过采取积极的防范和应对措施,有效减少人员伤亡和财产损失,提高救援效率和效果。     

消防射水对导线火烧熔痕金相组织的影响

模拟火灾现场,制作不同线径铜导线的火烧熔珠,然后在不同温度下对熔珠进行冷却.利用金相显微镜对火烧熔珠的金相组织进行观察,发现铜导线火烧熔痕在不同温度下经消防射水冷却后,会出现类似一次短路和二次短路熔痕的金相组织.     

基于TDLAS的火灾气体探测系统研制

将TDLAS(Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy)技术应用于极早期火灾气体产物的检测.对于火灾早期特征气体CO和CO2气体探测,选择中心波长为1582nm和1607nm的近红外吸收谱线,设计了一个基于TDLAS的火灾气体探测系统.对于CO和CO2气体,最低检测灵敏度分别达到2.3×10-6和22×10-6体积比浓度.该系统信号响应线性度高,长期运行稳定.