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| Titel |
Satellite-based assessment of climate controls on US burned area |
| VerfasserIn |
D. C. Morton, G. J. Collatz, D. Wang, J. T. Randerson, L. Giglio, Y. Chen |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 10, no. 1 ; Nr. 10, no. 1 (2013-01-16), S.247-260 |
| Datensatznummer |
250017470
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-10-247-2013.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Climate regulates fire activity through the buildup and drying of fuels and
the conditions for fire ignition and spread. Understanding the dynamics of
contemporary climate–fire relationships at national and sub-national scales
is critical to assess the likelihood of changes in future fire activity and
the potential options for mitigation and adaptation. Here, we conducted the
first national assessment of climate controls on US fire activity using two
satellite-based estimates of monthly burned area (BA), the Global Fire
Emissions Database (GFED, 1997–2010) and Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity
(MTBS, 1984–2009) BA products. For each US National Climate Assessment (NCA)
region, we analyzed the relationships between monthly BA and potential
evaporation (PE) derived from reanalysis climate data at 0.5°
resolution. US fire activity increased over the past 25 yr, with
statistically significant increases in MTBS BA for the entire US and the
Southeast and Southwest NCA regions. Monthly PE was strongly correlated with
US fire activity, yet the climate driver of PE varied regionally. Fire season
temperature and shortwave radiation were the primary controls on PE and fire
activity in Alaska, while water deficit (precipitation – PE) was
strongly correlated with fire activity in the Plains regions and Northwest
US. BA and precipitation anomalies were negatively correlated in all regions,
although fuel-limited ecosystems in the Southern Plains and Southwest
exhibited positive correlations with longer lead times (6–12 months). Fire
season PE increased from the 1980's–2000's, enhancing climate-driven fire
risk in the southern and western US where PE–BA correlations were strongest.
Spatial and temporal patterns of increasing fire season PE and BA during the
1990's–2000's highlight the potential sensitivity of US fire activity to
climate change in coming decades. However, climate-fire relationships at the
national scale are complex, based on the diversity of fire types, ecosystems,
and ignition sources within each NCA region. Changes in the seasonality or
magnitude of climate anomalies are therefore unlikely to result in uniform
changes in US fire activity. |
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