About

Dr Tara Strand is a scientist who specialises in modelling the dispersion of particles in the atmosphere. Her skills are valuable in a number of research programmes including fire behaviour and aerial spray application.

Qualifications

• PhD (Civil Engineering, Atmospheric Science), Washington State University, USA - 2007
• MSc (Environmental Engineering), Washington State University, USA - 2000.
• BSc (Civil Engineering), Washington State University, USA - 1996

Research capabilities

• Understanding smoke emissions from wild and prescribed fire
• Modelling and observing through field trials smoke emissions, plume formation, plume transport and dispersion
• Measuring and modelling turbulent motion in complex terrain, beneath a vegetation canopy, and/or within a fire
• Determining the concentration field after treatment and its potential for efficacy
• Measuring and modelling aircraft wake and spray deposition

Selected papers

Strand, T.M., Larkin, N., Sullivan, D., Craig, K., Raffuse, S., Rorig, M., Solomon, R., Prydan, D., and Wheeler, N. (2012) Analyses of PM2.5 predictions during the 2007 southern and 2008 northern California fires.  J. Geophys. Res. (Submitted).

Strand, T.M., Ross, D., Thistle, H., Ragenovich, I., Matos Guerra, I., and Lamb, B. (2012) Predicting Dendroctonus pseudotsugae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) antiaggregation pheromone concentrations using an instantaneous puff dispersion model.  J. Econ. Entomol. 5, 451-460.

Raffuse, S.M., Craig, K.J., Larkin, N.K., Strand, T.M., Sullivan, D.C., Wheeler, N.J.M., and Solomon, R. (2012) An evaluation of modeled plume rise with satellite data. Atmosphere 3, 103-123.

Thistle, H.W., Strom, B., Strand, T., Lamb, B.K., Edburg, G., Allwine, H.G., and Peterson, H., (2011) Stand thinning and the effectiveness of airborne chemical signaling by southern pine beetle:  A tracer study. Transactions of the ASABE 54(4): 1219-1236.

Strand, T.M., Larkin, N., Rorig, M., Krull, C., and Moore, M. (2011) PM2.5 measurements in wildfire smoke plumes from fire season 2005-2008 in the Northwestern United States. J. Aerosol Sci. 42, 143-155.

Larkin, N.K., O’Neill, S., Solomon, R., Raffuse, S., Strand, T., Sullivan, D. C., Krull, C., Rorig, M., Peterson, J., and Ferguson, S. (2009) The BlueSky Smoke Modeling Framework.  Int. J. Wildland Fire, 18, 906-920.

Strand, T. M., B. Lamb, H. Thistle, E. Allwine, and H. Peterson (2009), Development and Evaluation of a Simple Dispersion Model for Simulation of Insect Pheromone Dispersion within Forest Canopies, Ecol. Model., 220, 640-656.

Thistle, H. W., Peterson, H., Allwine, G., Lamb, B., Strand, T., Holsten, E.H., and Shea, P.J. (2004), Surrogate pheromone plumes in three forest trunk spaces: composite statistics and case studies, Forest Sci. 50 (5), 610-625.

Sundram, I., C. Claiborn, T. Strand, and B. Lamb (2004) Numerical modeling of windblown dust in the Pacific Northwest with improved meteorology and dust emission models. J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 109, 208-220.