Savunkasvu

Savunkasvu is a Finnish term that translates roughly as smoke growth and is used to describe the change in smoke characteristics during burning processes. In Finnish-language environmental science and fire management discourse, savunkasvu may refer to the period when smoke production or the intensity of smoke plumes increases, leading to higher atmospheric concentrations of smoke particles and gases. The term is not standardized in international fire science, and its precise meaning can vary between sources, context, and whether the focus is plume dynamics, air quality, or public health.

Etymology: derived from savu (smoke) and kasvu (growth) in Finnish.

Usage: Primarily found in Finnish-language texts on wildland fire, prescribed burning, and urban pollution events. It can describe physical plume development (increasing plume height, opacity) or air-quality-related growth in pollutant concentrations.

Measurement and indicators: savunkasvu may be discussed alongside changes in PM2.5 and PM10, carbon monoxide (CO), and aerosol optical depth, as well as meteorological factors that influence plume dispersion and visibility. Modelling approaches may include Gaussian plume models or Lagrangian particle dispersion models to simulate plume growth.

See also: smoke plume, air quality, wildfire, combustion, plume rise.