Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Geography
Published

New way to spot beetle-killed spruce can help forest, wildfire managers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new machine-learning system can automatically produce detailed maps from satellite data to show locations of likely beetle-killed spruce trees in Alaska, even in forests of low and moderate infestation where identification is otherwise difficult. The automated process can help forestry and wildfire managers in their decisions. That's critical as the beetle infestation spreads.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Fighting fires from space in record time: How AI could prevent devastating wildfires      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are getting closer to detecting bushfires in record time, thanks to cube satellites with onboard AI now able to detect fires from space 500 times faster than traditional on-ground processing of imagery.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Novel mobile air monitoring technology yields greater insight into post-disaster pollution levels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has found that high resolution mass spectrometry could be a valuable tool for identifying and assessing air-borne contaminants produced by natural and human-made disasters.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Aerosol pollution, greenhouse gases must be reduced simultaneously to keep forest fires in check      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

If we want cleaner air, fewer forest fires, and less severe climate change, a new study shows we must reduce aerosol pollution and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide at the same time.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: Astrophysics Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

The origin of the sun's magnetic field could lie close to its surface      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Surprise findings suggest sunspots and solar flares could be generated by a magnetic field within the Sun's outermost layers. If confirmed, the findings could help scientists better predict space weather.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

How wildfires change soil chemistry      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Severe wildfires can drive chemical changes in soil that affect ecosystem recovery and risks to human health. A new study finds broader surveillance and modeling of these changes could inform strategies for protecting lives, property and natural resources, and managing wildlife.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Improved wildfire smoke model identifies areas for public health intervention      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Canadian wildfires of June 2023 exposed a large portion of the Northeastern United States to unprecedented levels of smoke. A new model that combines wildfire smoke forecasts and data from ground-based sensors may help public health officials plan targeted interventions in areas most at risk for the negative health effects of unexpected smoke events and air pollution, according to scientists.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Climate change and human activities like deforestation are causing more fires in central and west Africa's wet, tropical forests, according to the first-ever comprehensive survey there. The fires have long been overlooked.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Anthropologist documents how women and shepherds historically reduced wildfire risk in Central Italy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fire management lessons from the past could help to improve resilience as the Mediterranean faces increased fire risk from climate change. How traditional land management practices once greatly reduced fuel for wildfires, and how these practices were forgotten, in part due to historical politics of classism and sexism.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Modeling broader effects of wildfires in Siberia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

CO2 worsens wildfires by helping plants grow      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a new study.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Fires pose growing worldwide threat to wildland-urban interface      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fires that devastate wildland-urban interface areas are becoming more common around the globe, a trend that is likely to continue for at least the next two decades, new research finds. Such fires are especially dangerous, both because they imperil large numbers of people and because they emit far more toxins than forest and grassland fires.

Biology: Cell Biology Ecology: Trees Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Tracing the largest solar storm in modern times from tree rings in Lapland      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group was able to measure a spike in radiocarbon concentration of trees in Lapland that occurred after the Carrington flare. This discovery helps to prepare for dangerous solar storms.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Unintended consequences of fire suppression      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reveals how fire suppression ensures that wildfires will burn under extreme conditions at high severity, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and fuel accumulation.

Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

2020 extreme weather event that brought fires and snow to western US      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The same weather system that led to the spread of the devastating Labor Day wildfires in 2020 brought record-breaking cold and early-season snowfall to parts of the Rocky Mountains. Now, new research is shedding light on the meteorology behind what happened and the impacts of such an extreme weather event.

Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires
Published

Cooler, wetter parts of Pacific Northwest likely to see more fires, new simulations predict      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Forests in the coolest, wettest parts of the western Pacific Northwest are likely to see the biggest increases in burn probability, fire size and number of blazes as the climate continues to get warmer and drier.