Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jizeng Du, Kaicun Wang, Baoshan Cui
Summary: The extreme wildfire that occurred in South China in 2019 was largely attributed to both anthropogenic warming and the El Nino event, which increased the weather-related risk of extreme wildfires by 7.2 times and 3.6 times respectively.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xin Huang, Ke Ding, Jingyi Liu, Zilin Wang, Rong Tang, Lian Xue, Haikun Wang, Qiang Zhang, Zhe-Min Tan, Congbin Fu, Steven J. Davis, Meinrat O. Andreae, Aijun Ding
Summary: Extreme wildfires pose threats to human lives, air quality, and ecosystems. The impact of meteorology on wildfire behaviors and the correlation between wildfires and climate are well-studied. However, the influence of fire-weather feedback on short-term wildfire variability remains unclear, hindering fire disaster mitigation. In this study, we demonstrate the dominant role of synoptic-scale feedback in driving extreme fires in Mediterranean and monsoon climate regions. We observed that the radiative effects of smoke aerosols can modify near-surface wind, air dryness, and rainfall, thereby exacerbating air pollution by enhancing fire emissions and weakening dispersion. The complex interactions among wildfires, smoke, and weather create a positive feedback loop that significantly increases air pollution exposure.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patrick T. Brown, Holt Hanley, Ankur Mahesh, Colorado Reed, Scott J. Strenfel, Steven J. Davis, Adam K. Kochanski, Craig B. Clements
Summary: This study uses machine learning to investigate the impact of temperature on the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth in California, and finds that temperature primarily influences the risk through its effect on fuel moisture. The research shows that anthropogenic warming has increased the expected frequency of extreme daily wildfire growth and the extent of this increase varies for different fires. When subjected to projected future conditions, the frequency of extreme daily wildfire growth events is expected to further increase, with larger increases under higher emissions scenarios.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Weijia Yang, Sarah N. Sparrow, Masao Ashtine, David C. H. Wallom, Thomas Morstyn
Summary: This paper proposes a strategy for managing wildfire risks and preventing blackouts using microgrids, and demonstrates its effectiveness with a case study of the power network in Victoria, Australia in December 2019. By applying the Fire Weather Index (FWI) to a Wildfire-Energy System, the research provides a higher resolution for identifying wildfire risks in a grid. The results show that a system with installed microgrids can operate without outages under severe fire-related conditions. Additionally, a cost-benefit analysis indicates that networked microgrid solutions can recover 68% of system costs.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Miguel Carmo, Joao Ferreira, Manuel Mendes, Alvaro Silva, Pedro Silva, Daniela Alves, Luis Reis, Ilda Novo, Domingos Xavier Viegas
Summary: Research in Portugal has looked extensively at the spatiotemporal patterns of fire-weather regime, but a comprehensive climatology of extreme wildfires is still being developed. This study calls for different strategies and scales of analysis to describe the relationships between medium and low troposphere weather conditions and severe fire behavior, presenting critical fire-weather patterns and thresholds that can improve operational and forecasting knowledge.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Timothy W. Juliano, Pedro A. Jimenez, Branko Kosovic, Trude Eidhammer, Gregory Thompson, Larry K. Berg, Jerome Fast, Amber Motley, Andrea Polidori
Summary: The 2020 wildfire season in the United States was highly active, resulting in significant reductions in solar power production due to the emission of smoke particulates into the atmosphere. Hour-ahead forecasts during the wildfire events did not account for the effects of smoke, leading to overestimation of expected power production. Including biomass burning particles in numerical weather prediction models greatly improved the accuracy of solar energy forecasts. This highlights the importance of considering aerosols, including those from biomass burning, in order to properly balance energy grids as reliance on solar power increases.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Neil P. Lareau, Amanda Donohoe, Matthew Roberts, Hamed Ebrahimian
Summary: This study demonstrates the development and testing of a radar-based fire-perimeter tracking tool using fixed-site weather radars, which provides timely and accurate updates on the location and rate of spread of large wildfires. The radar-based fire perimeters show good agreement with satellite and airborne infrared observations, improving situational awareness during high-impact fires.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rackhun Son, S-Y Simon Wang, Seung Hee Kim, Hyungjun Kim, Jee-Hoon Jeong, Jin-Ho Yoon
Summary: Historical wildfire events in California have shown a tendency to occur every five to seven years with a rapidly increasing tendency in recent decades. Analysis suggests that this oscillation is linked to anomalous large-scale climate patterns, with the El Nino-Southern Oscillation potentially acting as a trigger for the semi-cyclical hydrological behavior driving wildfire variability in the state.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
P. E. Saide, M. Krishna, X. Ye, L. H. Thapa, F. Turney, C. Howes, C. C. Schmidt
Summary: This study uses weather radar products to estimate fire radiative power (FRP) and compares it with satellite data, showing a strong correlation between the two. Machine learning algorithms are used to effectively remove ground artifacts. This radar-based estimation method helps to fill gaps in satellite data and has the potential to overcome satellite FRP biases during extreme fire events.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Marek Kaspar, Miloslav Muller, Vojtech Bliznak, Anna Valerianova
Summary: A crucial step in developing a strategy against natural hazards is analyzing past weather extremes. The Czech Extreme Weather Database (CZEXWED) presents six types of extreme events and covers the period 1961-2020. To ensure consistency, a weather extremity index (WEI) is used to evaluate various events. Heat and cold waves have higher WEI values in Czechia due to larger affected areas. Heat waves are increasing significantly, while the trend for cold waves and windstorms is opposite. Air temperature drops are frequent in the warm half-year, but some top events occur in January. Windstorms and heavy precipitation events dominate in different seasons. CZEXWED corresponds well with Central European extreme events.
WEATHER AND CLIMATE EXTREMES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adrian Cardil, Marcos Rodrigues, Joaquin Ramirez, Sergio de-Miguel, Carlos A. Silva, Michela Mariani, Davide Ascoli
Summary: Analysis of wildfire records in southern California found a significant association between high area burned and adverse weather patterns, such as severe droughts and Santa Ana winds. These fire-promoting events are mediated by climate teleconnections, particularly through the coupled effects of El Nino Southern Oscillation and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Regional-scale weather patterns and climatic teleconnections play a key role in modulating fire-conducive conditions, highlighting the importance of understanding these systems for effective wildfire management.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nicolas Borchers-Arriagada, David M. J. S. Bowman, Owen Price, Andrew J. Palmer, Stephanie Samson, Hamish Clarke, Gonzalo Sepulveda, Fay H. Johnston
Summary: Smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns in New South Wales, Australia, leads to significant health costs, with wildfires contributing a higher total cost but prescribed burns having a higher cost per hectare. These findings should be taken into consideration when evaluating the trade-offs between prescribed burns and wildfires.
LANCET PLANETARY HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fabian Senf, Bernd Heinold, Anne Kubin, Jason Mueller, Roland Schroedner, Ina Tegen
Summary: Wildfires, especially extreme ones like the Australian wildfires in 2019-2020, release absorbing aerosols that have significant impacts on the atmosphere. The global climate impact of these wildfires is not only due to the emitted carbon dioxide but also the smoke aerosol released. This study uses simulations to show that the smoke from the Australian wildfires led to radiative forcing and subsequent adjustments in the stratosphere and troposphere, affecting temperature, humidity, cirrus amount, ice water path, and surface precipitation globally.
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bijan Fallah, Emmanuele Russo, Christoph Menz, Peter Hoffmann, Iulii Didovets, Fred F. Hattermann
Summary: We investigate the contribution of anthropogenic forcing to extreme temperature and precipitation events in Central Asia. Our analysis shows a higher risk of extreme heat events and precipitation events in the region, particularly in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jose Manuel Fernandez-Guisuraga, Samuel Martins, Paulo M. Fernandes
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between fire behavior and environmental controls in mainland Portugal, finding that forest type and extreme weather are major factors contributing to the size and severity of wildfires. The results suggest that, in the context of global change, pre-fire fuel management should prioritize expanding the weather conditions under which fire control is possible and promoting the growth of less flammable and more resilient forest types.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)