Western Europe is experiencing a summer of weather extremes.
wildfires
Posted inResearch & Developments
Climate Change Made Spain Wildfires At Least 20 Times More Likely
Over the past two weeks, large wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain have burned 255,000 hectares, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and created extremely poor air quality even hundreds of kilometers away. Though firefighters have now contained the major fires, a forecasted heat wave and windy weather are threatening to worsen the situation.
Climate change played a role in creating the conditions for these fires to burn and spread, a new analysis has found.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Amid USFS Upheaval, Utah and Colorado Are Burning
The fires come in the wake of historically low amounts of snow in the American West, as well as organizational changes at the U.S. Forest Service.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
As Wildfires Increase in the West, So Does Suppression Spending
A new study projects the intertwined relationship between fires and the money spent fighting them.
Posted inNews
A New Approach Can Better Predict Debris Flow Hazards Years After Fires
USGS hazard maps don’t always reflect real landslide risk in the years after wildfires. Fine-tuning assessments of vegetation recovery could help.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Much Will Western Wildfires Worsen Under Warming?
A new study reevaluates the use of vapor pressure deficit, or VPD, in climate models to predict increases in area burned by wildfire across the U.S. West.
Posted inNews
Low Snow in Eurasia Linked to Wildfires in California
Scientists found that low autumn snow levels in western Eurasia are associated with dry, warm winters in California, increasing the Golden State’s wildfire risk.
Posted inNews
Tree Lines Are Migrating. Some Up, Some Down.
Between 2000 and 2020, 42% of tree lines around the world crept upward, largely because of climate change. But 25% moved downhill, seemingly because of factors such as land use changes and wildfires.
Posted inResearch & Developments
2026 Has Already Broken Climate Records. El Niño Could Break More.
As the midpoint of the year approaches, several climate records have already been broken. Arctic winter sea ice extent reached a record low. Several countries saw record-breaking winter heat waves. And more than 150 million acres have already burned globally in wildfires.
Posted inNews
Most of the U.S. West Will Face Above-Normal Wildfire Risk This Summer
The National Interagency Fire Center predicts elevated wildfire potential across much of the West and many Southeast states through August.