From the equator to the Arctic, wildfires are likely to increase, and climate change can make them worse, according to a new United Nations report. Action is still possible, say the authors.
wildfires
Posted inNews
Warmer Nights Are Adding Fuel to Nighttime Fires
Cool, moist nights are rarer than they were a few decades ago, and that’s giving wildfires an edge over crews trying to hold fire lines.
Posted inNews
Crowdsourced Science Helps Monitor Air Quality in Smoke-Damaged Homes
Researchers collaborate with residents to measure airborne chemicals in homes and evaluate how clean the air really is after remediation from Colorado’s Marshall Fire.
Posted inNews
Forest Fires Could Boost Western U.S. Water Supplies
Streamflow in the West has been below average since the early 2000s, but a new analysis shows that streams aren’t as dry as expected.
Posted inNews
More Fires, More Problems
Increasing incidents of wildfires in the Arctic are not only thawing permafrost but changing the entire underlying structure of the region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Health Impacts of Air Pollution from Australian Megafires
Models suggest that thousands of Australians experienced dangerous levels of air pollution for several months, leading to more than a hundred deaths.
Posted inNews
Clever Wood Use Could Mitigate Wildfires and Climate Change
California plans to use forest thinning to reduce wildfire risk. New research suggests the state could also see a climate benefit by repurposing waste wood produced by thinning.
Posted inNews
No Relief from Rain: Climate Change Fuels Compound Disasters
Climate change is increasing the risk of fire-rain events, raising mudslide concerns in fire-prone communities.
Posted inNews
Wildfires May Alter the Nitrogen Cycle—and Air Pollution
Research indicates that wildfires could be bolstering soil emissions of air pollutants that contribute to smog and climate change.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tracking from Space how Extreme Drought Impacts Carbon Emissions
Carbon dioxide emissions from wildfires combined with reduced carbon uptake by intact ecosystems during the 2019-202
0 fire season to approximately double Australia’s annual carbon emissions.