Implementation, Verification and Visualization of CANSAC Products

The California and Nevada Smoke and Air Committee (CANSAC) was established to respond to specific needs of federal and state agency fire, smoke and air quality decision-makers in the region. Within the structure, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) Program for Climate, Ecosystem, and Fire Applications (CEFA) serves as the mesoscale model and value-added product operations and forecast facility. Products are produced twice daily (initialized at 00 and 12 UTC) using high resolution mesoscale numerical weather forecasts from the Fifth Generation Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5), and linked with air quality transport and dispersion models in order to predict the impact from smoke and haze, and to the algorithms of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). This paper describes the methods and techniques developed to implement a fully operational weather and smoke forecast system and to verify and improve its major components. The discussed techniques will also include operational visualization and other analysis methods.