Identifier

96

Date

2017

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Earth Sciences

Concentration

Geography

Committee Chair

Arleen Alice Hill

Committee Member

Dorian J. Burnette

Abstract

The 2016 Gatlinburg fire challenged perceptions of wildfires and raised questions about wildfire incidences in Tennessee. Could the wildfire have been anticipated? In this research, Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstructions were generated for the years 1900 to 2005, and Drought Monitor products for 2005 to 2016 were collected to establish the severity and frequency of dry conditions across the region. This drought history was compared to Tennessee's history of fires between 1960 to 2006. Finally, focusing on the 2016 incident, a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was created to determine the health of the vegetation in the area prior to the specific fire. Compiling and comparing drought severity, fire history, and vegetation health data revealed that fire frequency increases during periods of extreme drought. While the vegetation was susceptible to burning in 2016, the correlation between drought and fire would not support the prediction of a specific fire incident.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Notes

Data is provided by the student.

Download

Share

COinS