About Me
I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Atmospheric Science Department at the University of British Colombia Vancouver with a projected graduation date of August 2024.
My research interests include; coupled atmosphere-wildland fire behavior modeling, fire weather forecasting, forest fuel moisture predictions, wildfire smoke forecasting, and creating innovative ways to reduce the costs of collecting fire profile data during controlled burn experiments.
My Ph.D. thesis is focused on developing an hourly fire danger rating system (FDRS) using numerical weather predictions. The innovative approach offers forecast shifts in peak fire danger timing, especially during intensified fire activity in the late evening and early morning hours. It also allows for multiple periods of increased fire danger per day—a contrast to the conventional FDRS. For this research, I work closely with wildfire management agencies in Canada to help improve the daily operational fire danger assessments and predictions.
I am also a Co-creator and Instructor (with Dr. Rolland Stull - my Ph.D. Supervisor and Department Chair) of a new fourth-year Synoptic Fire Weather Forecasting Course. The course rolled out in September 2023 addresses a wide variety of meteorological and fire forecasting topics.
My outside interests include snowboarding, climbing, backpacking, surfing, and biking.
Education
University of British Columbia Vancouver
Ph.D. Atmospheric Sciences
2019 - Present
David Bates Scholarship 2019
W.H. Mathews Scholarship 2020
7th International Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference Scholarship 2024
University of Colorado Boulder
B.A. Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
B.A. Physical Geography
2017 - 2018
2008 - 2013
Dean’s list Fall 2017/Spring 2018
Undergraduate Research Fellow; Characterizing Thunderstorm
Outflow Boundaries in Complex Terrain
Pennsylvania State University
Certificate in Weather Forecasting
2015 -2016
Research Experience
University of British Columbia
Graduate Research Assistant
2019 - Present
Department of Earth Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
- Developing a Numerical Weather Prediction derived Fire Weather Forecast Model to assess the moisture content within varied layers of the forest fuels (vegetation) for daily use by operational wildland firefighters.
- This hourly forest fuel moisture forecast is being integrated into a fire growth and fuel emissions model to aid in smoke forecast predictions in the Bluesky Canada smoke forecast system.
- A webpage was created for displaying the Fire Weather Forecast products, associated meteorology, and current wildfire locations on a zoomable map with popup point forecast functionality. For more information, visit the Fire Weather Forecast website.
- Constructed low-cost, in situ instruments to observe and profile the vertical concentration of PM2.5 in wildfire smoke plumes. These disposable Particulate Matter Sensors, calibrated against an industry-standard GRIMM OPC, provide a low-cost way to collect data to better understand wildfire smoke dynamics and forecasting. The sensors, built with off-the-shelf components, cost approximately $100 to build. For more information, visit the Fire Sensors website.
- Co-creator and Instructor (with Dr. Stull) of a new fourth-year Synoptic Fire Weather Forecasting Course, which includes the following topics:
- Analyze and interpret weather-observation data,
- Interpret numerical weather prediction models,
- Apply meteorological principles to fire behavior,
- Compare alternative fire spread/danger outcomes given weather forecast uncertainty,
- Develop fire response plan of the day materials (as if they were professional fire-weather forecasters).
- Each Friday, a graduate or fourth-year undergraduate student in the Atmospheric Science Department is required to do a weekend weather forecast. I am considered the Graduate Student Subject Matter Expert and assist the student in developing their one-hour forecast.
- Teacher Assistant for Dr. Stull’s Weather Instruments Course
-
Assist with developing grant proposals that fund various research projects within the department.
- Notable Coursework:
- Data Analysis in Atmospheric, Earth, and Ocean Sciences
- Boundary-Layer Meteorology
- Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)
- Numerical Techniques for Ocean, Atmosphere, and Earth Scientists
University of Colorado
Undergraduate Research Opportunity Fellow
Sept. 2017 - Feb. 2019
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
- Assisted Dr. Katja Friedrich and Nicholas Luchetti (Ph.D. student) in evaluating thunderstorm outflow boundaries in WRF-Fire.
- Tasks included
- Detecting and analyzing 26 observed outflow boundaries in the Colorado Front Range to validate WRF’s ability to accurately model gust fronts.
- Analyzing the characteristics of each individual outflow boundary using a variety of remote sensing and in-situ instruments. Depth, length, propagation speed/direction, temperature/pressure change, turbulence, and maximum velocity throughout the boundary layer was quantified and categorized depending on the thunderstorm type, terrain, and ambient atmospheric conditions.
- For more information
- Notable Coursework:
- Scientific Computing in Atmospheric Science
- Atmospheric Radiative Transfer and Remote Sensing
- Atmospheric Dynamics
- Numerical Methods and Modeling in Atmospheric Science
- Atmospheric Dynamics
- Atmospheric Physics
- Synoptic Meteorology
- Applied Mathematics (Differential and Partial Differential Equations)
Professional/Academic Services
- Provide media interviews regarding wildfire and smoke conditions/forecasting. Media groups have included; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, National Post, and local Vancouver tv and radio stations.
- Moderate conference calls with myriad domestic and international stakeholders, including;
- British Columbia
- Ministry of Environment, Alberta
- Ministry of Environment, Northwest Territories
- Environment and Climate Change, Environment Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada
- US Forest Service AirFire
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) - Geneva Switzerland
Research Member
2022 - present
Vegetation Fire and Smoke Pollution Warning Advisory and Assessment System
- Fire Risk Forecasting working group
- Fire and Smoke emissions working group
- Wildland Fire Canada 2022. Edmonton, AB, CA
- Wildland Fire Canada 2024. Fredericton, NW, CA
American Meteorological Society
Program Committee and Session Chair
2022 - 2023
14th Fire and Forest Meteorology Symposium
- 14th Fire and Forest Meteorology Symposium 2023 Minneapolis, MN, USA
Professional Experience
- Collected precipitation samples for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP).
- Obtained digital and physical samples from two gauge sites located at an elevation of approximately 11,800 feet.
- Commuted to each location on a snowmobile or utility terrain vehicle (UTV) to ensure the NADP received data to support their research.
- Digital and physical samples collected and transmitted to NADP included data from a NOAH IV rain gauge and a non-contaminated weighed precipitation sample.
- Gauge sites also required routine equipment maintenance, and on occasion, emergency repairs were needed (regardless of weather conditions).
U.S. Forest Service
Forestry Technician GS-05-Trails Crew
April 2016 - Feb. 2017
White River National Forest
- Responsible for maintaining a diverse trail network located in arid desert and high alpine locations.
- The level of trail repair and maintenance varied in each climatic zone due to variable soil composition and respected rates of erosion.
- Dispatched for days at a time in remote areas where the only way to communicate was via satellite phone.
- Extended assignments required on-the-spot creative problem solving with limited resources.
- The work was dangerous and strenuous, requiring the use of various safety measures.
- Completed USFS National Fire Response training and was dispatched to fight multiple fires in the 2016 fire season.
U.S. Forest Service
Forestry Technician GS-04-Developed Rec.
April 2015 - Nov. 2015
White River National Forest
- The Maroon Bells, located approximately 5 miles from Aspen CO, is the most visited scenic area in one of the most visited National Forests in the Nation.
- Helped mitigate the damage to the area from overuse by educating the visitors through public contact.
- Strong communication skills were required as I often met people from foreign countries with limited or no English language skills.
Publications and Conference Presentations
Publications
- Rodell, C. (In preparation, March 2024). Modernizing Fire Weather Forecasting with Numerical Weather Predictions. University of British Columbia.
- Rodell, C., Howard, R., Jain, P., & Stull, R. B. (In preparation, March 2024). Fire Danger Forecasting: Using high-resolution reanalysis to standardize fire weather predictions. Wea. Forecasting
- Rodell, C., Howard, R., Jain, P., Moisseeva, N., Chui, T., & Stull, R. B. (2024). Forecasting Hourly Wildfire Risk: Enhancing Fire Danger Assessment using Numerical Weather Prediction. Wea. Forecasting. https://doi.org/10.1175/WAF-D-23-0226.1
- Rodell, C., Howard, R., Jain, P., Moisseeva, N., Chui, T., & Stull, R. B. (2024). An Hourly and Daily Fire Weather Index Dataset 2021-2023. Numerical Federated Research Data Repository. Federated Research Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.20383/103.0876
- Fei, C., White, R., & Rodell, C. (2023). The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021. Bulletin of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. https://bulletin.cmos.ca/the-unprecedented-pacific-northwest-heatwave-of-june-2021/
- White, R., & 15 Coauthors, including Rodell, C. (2023). The unprecedented Pacific Northwest heatwave of June 2021. Nature Communications, 14(727). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-36289-3
- Philip, S. Y., & 26 Coauthors, including C. Rodell, C. (2022). Rapid attribution analysis of the extraordinary heat wave on the Pacific coast of the US and Canada in June 2021. Earth Systems Dynamics, 13, 1689–1713. https://esd.copernicus.org/articles/13/1689/2022/
- Thompson, D., & 12 Coauthors, including Rodell, C. (2020). Recent Crown Thinning in a Boreal Black Spruce Forest Does Not Reduce Spread Rate nor Total Fuel Consumption: Results from an Experimental Crown Fire in Alberta, Canada. Fire, 3(28). https://doi.org/10.3390/fire3030028
- Luchetti, N. T., Friedrich, K., & Rodell, C. (2020). Evaluating Thunderstorm Gust Fronts in New Mexico and Arizona. Monthly Weather Review, 4943–4956. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-20-0204.1
- Luchetti, N. T., Friedrich, K., Rodell, C., & Lundquist, J. K. (2020). Characterizing thunderstorm gust fronts near complex terrain. Monthly Weather Review, 148, 3267–3286. https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-19-0316.1
Oral Presentations
- Rodell, C., Howard, R., Jain, P., Moisseeva, N., Chui, T., & Stull, R. B. (15 - 19 April 2024). Predicting Hourly Wildfire Risk: Enhancing Fire Danger Assessment with High-Resolution Numerical Weather Modeling. Presented at 7th International Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference 2024, Boise, ID.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Howard, R., & Stull, R. (31 Oct - 3 Nov 2022). Improving Fire Weather Forecasts. Presented at Wildland Fire Canada 2022, Edmonton, AB.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Howard, R., Stull, R., Schigas, R., & Chui, T. (31 Oct - 3 Nov 2022). On the use of high-resolution simulations of experimental burns to determine instrumentation placement. Presented at Wildland Fire Canada 2022, Edmonton, AB.
- Rodell, C., & Stull, R. (29 July 2021). A Synoptic Breakdown of The Extraordinary Heatwave on The Pacific Coast Of The US And Canada in June 2021. Presented to the University of British Columbia Department of Physics.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Chui, T., Howard, R., & Stull, R. (3 June 2021). Improving the Spatial and Temporal Resolution of the Existing Fire Weather Index System for Operational Use by Wildfire Agencies. Presented at the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society 55th Congress.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Howard, R., & Stull, R. (13 May 2021). Numerical weather prediction (NWP) derived Canadian Fire Weather Indices (FWI). Presented at the American Meteorological Society 13th Fire and Forest Meteorology Symposium.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Howard, R., Schmidt, T., Deere, A., Schigas, R., & Stull, R. (7 July 2020). Wildfire behaviour and smoke research at UBC: Update. Presented to Natural Resources Canada.
- Rodell, C., Moisseeva, N., Howard, R., Stull, R., Schigas, R., & Chui, T. (18-21 Nov 2019). Plume rise and dispersion: BlueSky Canada, Research and field observations. Presented at Wildland Fire Canada 2019, Ottawa, ON.
Posters Presentations
- Rodell, C., N. Luchetti., K. Friedrich J. Lundquist, B. Kosovic, 2018: Characterizing Thunderstorm Outflow Boundary in Complex Terrain. Earth System and Space Science Poster Conference. November, 2018, Boulder, CO.
- Luchetti, N. T., K. Friedrich, C .Rodell, J. Lundquist, B. Kosovic, 2018: Evaluating Gust Front Interactions With Idealized Terrain in WRF-Fire. Earth System and Space Science Poster Conference. November, 2018, Boulder, CO.
- Luchetti, N. T., K. Friedrich, C .Rodell, J. Lundquist, B. Kosovic, 2018: Characterizing Thunderstorm Outflow Boundary in Complex Terrain. 29th American Meteorological Society Conference on Severe and Local Storms, October, 2018, Stowe, VT.
- Luchetti, N. T., K. Friedrich, C .Rodell, J. Lundquist, B. Kosovic, 2017: Evaluating Thunderstorm Outflow Boundaries in WRF-Fire. Earth System and Space Science Poster Conference. November, 2017, Boulder, CO.
Technical Skills
Programing
Python, JAVASCRIPT/HTML/CSS, Bash, Unix/Linux,
Arduino, C ++, MATLAB, IDL, NCL, Julia, R
VSCode, Git
Certifications
- National Wildfire Coordinating Group
- FEMA Incident Command System
- National Incident Management System
- B Intermediate Sawyer Crosscut
- Trailer Towing
- Equipment Operator, Snowmobile/UVT
- Wilderness First Aid / CPR
- American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE Level 1)