Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-3035-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-3035-2026
Model description paper
 | 
20 Apr 2026
Model description paper |  | 20 Apr 2026

The Community Fire Behavior model for coupled fire–atmosphere modeling: implementation in the Unified Forecast System

Pedro A. Jiménez y Muñoz, Maria Frediani, Masih Eghdami, Daniel Rosen, Michael Kavulich, and Timothy W. Juliano

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Cited articles

Anderson, H. E.: Aids to determining fuel models for estimating fire behavior, General Technical Report INT-122, USDA Forest Service, Intermountaion Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, Utah 84401, https://doi.org/10.2737/INT-GTR-122, 1982. a, b, c
Andrews, P. L.: The Rothermel surface fire spread model and associated developments: A comprehensive explanation, General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-371, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO, USA, https://doi.org/10.2737/RMRS-GTR-371, 2018. a
Bauer, T. P., Holtermann, P., Heinold, B., Radtke, H., Knoth, O., and Klingbeil, K.: ICONGETM v1.0 – flexible NUOPC-driven two-way coupling via ESMF exchange grids between the unstructured-grid atmosphere model ICON and the structured-grid coastal ocean model GETM, Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4843–4863, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4843-2021, 2021. a
Benjamin, S., Weygandt, S., Brown, J., Hu, M., Alexander, C., Smirnova, T., Olson, J., James, E., Dowell, D., Grell, G., Lin, H., Peckham, S., Smith, T., Moninger, W., Kenyon, J., and Manikin, G.: A North American hourly assimilation and model forecast cycle: The Rapid Refresh, Mon. Weather Rev., 144, 1669–1694, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0242.1, 2016. a
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Short summary
We present the Community Fire Behavior model (CFBM) a fire behavior model designed to facilitate coupling to atmospheric models. We describe its implementation in the Unified Forecast System (UFS). Simulations of the Cameron Peak fire allowed us to verify our implementation. Our vision is to foster collaborative development in fire behavior modeling with the ultimate goal of increasing our fundamental understanding of fire science and minimizing the adverse impacts of wildland fires.
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