Christine Wiedinmyer

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Christine Wiedinmyer is an American atmospheric chemist who is research scientist in the Atmospheric Chemistry Division of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. She has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. [1]

Wiedinmyer developed the Fire INventory from NCAR (FINN), [2] "a high resolution global fire emissions model now used by local, regional, and global chemical modelers to better quantify the impacts of fire emissions on atmospheric composition, both in hindsight and forecast model applications." [3] She used the model to estimate that the 2010 Russian wildfires liberated 22 teragrams of carbon monoxide, though this amount was less than the cumulative carbon monoxide emissions of 2012 and 2003. [4] Wiedinmyer discovered that in the long run, controlled burning of forests will produce up to sixty percent less carbon dioxide emissions compared to the full-fledged wildfires they prevented. Undergrowth will be destroyed by the controlled burns while carbon-rich mature trees survive. Without removing the undergrowth, wildfires can quickly escalate out of control using the undergrowth as fuel, and then burn down mature trees as well. [5] [6]

Wiedinmyer is also a co-founder of the Earth Science Women's Network (ESWN). [7]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon dioxide</span> Chemical compound with formula CO₂

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CO2. It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature, and as the source of available carbon in the carbon cycle, atmospheric CO2 is the primary carbon source for life on Earth. In the air, carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water and is found in groundwater, lakes, ice caps, and seawater. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms carbonate and mainly bicarbonate, which causes ocean acidification as atmospheric CO2 levels increase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coal</span> Combustible sedimentary rock composed primarily of carbon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire</span> Rapid and hot oxidation of a material

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A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Wildfires are distinct from beneficial human usage of wildland fire, called controlled or prescribed burning, although controlled burns can turn into wildfires. Modern forest management often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate risk and promote natural forest cycles.

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C
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References

  1. "Christine Wiedinmyer". LinkedIn.
  2. "Modeling: FINN - Fire INventory from NCAR". NCAR Earth System Laboratory's Atmospheric Chemistry Division. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-01-24.
  3. "Christine Wiedinmyer's biography". NCAR Staff Directory.
  4. Jenner, Lynn (13 September 2012). "Wildfires in Siberia". NASA. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  5. Berardelli, Phil (18 March 2010). "Burn the Brush, Save Carbon Dioxide". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  6. Leber, Jessica (18 March 2010). "Study Calls for More Prescribed Burns to Reduce Forest Fire Emissions". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  7. "Christine Wiedinmyer". ESWN.