EWED Knowledge Clips
In the following video series, we explore the physics and prediction of pyro-convective plumes and subsequent pyro-clouds that occur during extreme wildfire events. We start with the physics and environment of pyro-convective plumes (videos 1 to 3). To enable the prediction of pyro-convection, we introduce the skew-T, demonstrating how to interpret it with real-world case studies and where to access it (videos 4 to 7). Finally, the series shifts focus to actual measurements of pyro-convection using soundings (Video 8), introducing the concept of conserved variables needed to interpret sounding data (Video 9), and concluding with an analysis of actual pyro-convection observations (Video 10).
1. Why do plumes rise?
To better understand the formation and shape of pyro-convective plumes, we dive into the ancient Greek principle of buoyancy. Using a football and water, we can demonstrate the fundamental physics behind a pyro-convective plume (Safe to try at home!).
2. Atmospheric Boundary Layer
This video explores the vertical structure of the atmosphere, focusing on the atmospheric boundary layer.
3. Lifting Condensation Level
This video explores one critical question for explaining observations of pyro-convection: Which atmospheric ingredients are necessary for a cloud to form on top of a pyro-convective plume?
4. How to read skew-T diagrams?
In this video, we introduce the skew-T, a standard output of meteorological models that is freely available worldwide. We will use the skew-T diagrams to estimate the ability of fires to create convective plumes and subsequent pyro-clouds.
5. The ABL and LCL in a Skew-T
Before diving into pyro-convection (EWED Knowledge clip 1), we first need to discuss how we can find the atmospheric boundary layer (clip 2) and the lifting condensation level (clip 3) in the skew-T.
6. Skew-T diagram with Wildfires
In this video, we show how you can estimate the ability of a fire to create a pyro-convective plume and a subsequent pyro-cloud using an environmental skew-T. We highlight both the possibilities and the limitations of the skew-T for predicting pyro-convection.
7. Online tools for Skew-T’s
Skew-T’s are freely available from multiple online sources and different weather models such as GFS, ICON and IFS. This video shows you how to access skew-T worldwide for any place worldwide using popular services such as Windy.com and Meteologix.com.
8. Pyroconvective prototypes
So far, we discussed the fundamental physics behind pyro-convection and a method to estimate the risk at pyro-convection, but what about actual measurements of pyro-convection? To get a live insight into the properties of the plume, we can use soundings. In this video, we introduce what we already learned from previous soundings based on the work of Castellnou et al.
9. Conserved variables
During operations, you can launch soundings yourself, but to interpret them, we need to understand their output. Hence, this video introduces conserved variables, the main output of soundings.
10. Soundings in Reality
In the last video of this series, we take a look at real observations of pyro-convection inspired by the work of Castellnou et al. (2025; preprint). We demonstrate the possibility of detecting clouds and estimating plume height using sounding measurements and our knowledge of conserved variables (EWED Knowledge clip 9)