A new study predicts that by the 2050s, wildfire smoke will cause the region to spend $850 million more every year to treat asthma.
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Posted inNews
Homes and Other Buildings Abound in Natural Hazard Hot Spots
Researchers mined maps of natural hazards and land use to show that nearly 60% of structures are built in regions at high risk of earthquakes, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and/or tornadoes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Australia’s Most Extreme Bushfire Season, Statistically Speaking
Researchers identified climatic and geomorphic risk factors that led to record-breaking fires across Australia during the 2019–2020 fire season.
Posted inNews
Wildfires Threaten West Coast’s Seismic Network
A dense seismic network keeps vigil over the western United States, sensing quakes soon after they begin so people nearby can brace themselves. How do wildfires affect these guardians of the West Coast?
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Biggest Risk to Surface Water After a Wildfire? It’s Complicated
Whether you’re considering short-term or long-term changes to water quality after a wildfire, scientists agree that sedimentation is a big concern.
Posted inScience Updates
Soil Signals Tell of Landscape Disturbances
The lasting influence humans have on Earth’s critical zone—and how geologic forces have mediated those influences—is revealed in studies of soil and carbon migration.
Posted inNews
COVID-19 Lockdown Reduces Forest Fires in the Western Himalayas
The overlap between peak fire season and pandemic response has made for a serendipitous experiment in forest fires in two Indian states. Humans, not lightning, seem to be the likeliest culprit.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Great Plains Plants Bounce Back After Large Wildfires
An analysis of nearly 1,400 wildfires suggests that some postfire techniques used to help restore vegetation may be unnecessary.
Posted inNews
The Rise of Zombie Fires
Wildfires can smolder underground through Arctic winters, reigniting at the surface when conditions are right.
Posted inNews
Could Wildfire Ash Feed the Ocean’s Tiniest Life-Forms?
Ash falling on the ocean after a wildfire could fuel plankton growth.