Frontiers in Science: Wildfire, water and climate change presentation
How scientific tools help us predict and respond to fire behavior
January 4, 2023
Wednesday, Jan. 11
6-7:30 p.m.
The Guild Cinema
3405 Central Ave., Albuquerque
Thursday, Jan. 12
5:30-7 p.m.
New Mexico Museum of Art
107 West Palace Ave., Santa Fe
Friday, Jan. 13
6-7:30 p.m.
SALA Los Alamos Event Center
2551 Central Ave., Los Alamos
Frontiers in Science presents Adam Atchley and a look at how scientific tools and expertise empower society to better predict and respond to fire behavior in complex conditions. Join this free public talk in Albuquerque (Wednesday, Jan. 11), Santa Fe (Thursday, Jan. 12) and Los Alamos (Friday, Jan. 13).
How does climate change affect wildfires and pose a threat to communities, critical ecosystems and resources? Prescribed burns improve ecosystems and reduce wildfire intensity, but antiquated data and tools hinder planning in our rapidly changing and densely populated landscapes.
Los Alamos National Laboratory provides innovative scientific tools to safely manage burns to maximize ecosystem stability, reduce carbon release, and protect human health, air quality and water resources. These tools include novel 3D fire, hydrologic and ecosystem modeling; an atmospheric forensics facility; and portable, rapid simulators that capture site-specific conditions in real time.
This series is a public service of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellows.
About the speaker
Adam Atchley investigates how physical hydrology connects wide-ranging Earth system processes including climate-impacted groundwater/surface water systems, hydrological connections to wildland fire behaviors and Arctic hydrology. Atchley studied plant ecology and natural resources as an undergraduate at Oregon State University and received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Forestry. He studied hydrologic science and engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, receiving his master’s in 2009 and doctorate in 2013.
