A Physics-Based Model of Thermodynamically Varying Fuel Moisture Content for Fire Behavior Prediction

Fuel moisture content (FMC) is a critical parameter in fire and plume behaviors, showing diurnal and spatial variations influenced by local meteorological conditions, soil characteristics, and fuel properties. In low-intensity fires, small-scale FMC variations intensify, leading to an amplification of their effects on fire physics. In an effort to capture these variations, we developed a physics-based model that couples a thermodynamic-based FMC prediction model for dead fuels with the Fire Dynamics Simulator of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The model accuracy is validated against several existing experimental datasets, showing improvements over the baseline model, which uses the kinetic-based Arrhenius drying approach. A case study of flame propagation in a small fuel bed is also presented, indicating the improved performance of the new model and its novel capabilities in capturing complex processes of fuel drying and moisture flux exchanges between the fuel and ambient atmosphere. The details of the model and its validation studies can be found in: "Dubey, R. R., & Yaghoobian, N. (2024). A physics-based model of thermodynamically varying fuel moisture content for fire behavior prediction. Environmental Modelling & Software, 179, 106111". The instructions on how to run the code can be found in the README file included in the dataset. These codes and data are identical to https://github.com/ritambhara1234/Physics-Based-Dynamic-FMC (commit 43f79df4298592d63c82f8c1d91196dc2e6f9900).

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated October 26, 2025, 07:09 (UTC)
Created October 26, 2025, 07:09 (UTC)
accessRights This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To read more about the access rights pertaining to this dataset, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
creationMethod Comprehensive information on the dataset's creation methods can be found in the “Description” section of the metadata and on the <a href='https://wfsi-data.org/view/doi:10.60594/W46K5C' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'>dataset’s webpage</a>.
creatorName Ritambhara Dubey
dataAuthType public
dataType COLLECTION
datasetPageUrl https://wfsi-data.org/view/doi:10.60594/W46K5C
docsURL https://wfsi-data.org/view/doi:10.60594/W46K5C
doi doi:10.60594/W46K5C
issueDate 2025-04-30T15:21:21.201Z
lang en
lastUpdateDate 2025-04-30T15:21:22.510Z
license cc-by
pocEmail wfsi-data@googlegroups.com
pocName SERDP Wildland Fire Science Initiative (WFSI)
pocWebsite https://portal.wfsi-data.org/data
publisherEmail wfsi-data@googlegroups.com
publisherName SERDP Wildland Fire Science Initiative (WFSI)
publisherWebsite https://portal.wfsi-data.org/data
purpose Purpose outlined in 'Description' section of metadata.
theme ["wildland-fire-science-initiative"]
uploadType dataset
usageInfo <p>Comprehensive usage details are available on the dataset's dedicated webpage. This includes specific usage information often found within related PDF files, which are also downloadable via the 'Resources' tab. While the first listed author is the dataset's official creator, all correspondence regarding usage or data access should be directed to the WFSI Data Portal contact. For the full list of authors, contributors, and the recommended citation format, please refer to the <a href='http://wfsi-data.org/view/doi:10.60594/W46K5C' rel='noopener noreferrer' target='_blank'>dataset's webpage</a>.</p>