A Review of Modeling Approaches Used to Simulate Smoke Transport and Dispersion

A variety of smoke model frameworks is used to simulate smoke for research and forecast applications. Here, a comprehensive summary is provided, which covers the many different smoke models that are available, while simultaneously highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of each model, along with the uncertainties surrounding each of these frameworks. This review also provides an in-depth discussion on coupled wildfire-atmosphere models, which is a relatively newer smoke modeling tool not previously discussed in other review papers. Key processes related to smoke transport and dispersion, such as the wildfire plume rise, are also discussed at length. This review wraps up with a discussion of future smoke modeling needs and potential new research directions for smoke transport and dispersion models.