Vegetation effects on impulsive events in the acoustic signature of fires.
Acoustic impulse events have long been used as diagnostics for discrete phenomena in the natural world, including the detection of meteor impacts and volcanic eruptions. Wildland fires display an array of such acoustic impulse events in the form of crackling noises. Exploratory research into the properties of these impulse events revealed information regarding the specific properties of plant material. Unique acoustic frequency bands in the upper end of the sonic spectrum correlated to changes in vegetation properties. The signature of acoustic impulse events as they relate to plant species and plant water stress, were investigated in controlled laboratory combustion experiments. Correlation in the frequency range of 6.0-15.0 kHz was found for both species and water stress, indicating the possibility that a digital filter may be capable of identifying vegetation properties during wildland fire events.
Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho, 975 West 6th Street, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
Kara M
KM
Yedinak
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
Michael J
MJ
Anderson
Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences, University of Idaho, 975 West 6th Street, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA.
Kent G
KG
Apostol
Idaho Fire Initiative for Research and Education (IFIRE), 1025 Plant Science Road, Moscow, Idaho 83843, USA.
Alistair M S
AM
Smith