Impact of topography and combustion functions on fire front propagation in an advection-diffusion-reaction model for wildfires

Abstract

Given the recent increase in wildfires, developing a better understanding of their dynamics is crucial. For this purpose, the advection-diffusion-reaction model has been widely used to study wildfire dynamics. In this study, we introduce the previously unconsidered influence of topography through an additional advective term. Furthermore, we propose a linear term for the combustion function, comparing it with the commonly used Arrhenius law to offer a simpler model for further analysis. Our findings on the model’s dynamics are supported by numerical simulations showing the differences of model extensions and approximations.