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Categories: Environmental: Wildfires, Geoscience: Landslides
Published Report shows tectonics to be main driver of hillslope 'connectivity'
(via sciencedaily.com) A new large-scale analysis of hillslope connectivity at the continental scale was recently published. The study gives new understanding of mechanisms that determine how effectively hillslopes drive floods and landslides, as well as promote the presence of wetlands.
Published Warmer stream temperatures in burned-over Oregon watershed didn't result in fewer trout
(via sciencedaily.com) The number of trout in a southern Oregon stream system showed no decline one year after a fire burned almost the entire watershed, including riparian zone trees that had helped maintain optimal stream temperatures for the cold-water fish.
Published New nationwide strategy brings scientists, communities together to help reduce landslide risks
(via sciencedaily.com) Landslides are inevitable, but landslide disasters are not. With this in mind, the U.S. Geological Survey has released a new report that details the strategic actions necessary to equitably reduce the Nation's risk from landslide hazards.
Published Study finds higher rates of traumatic injuries for outdoor workers during hotter weather
(via sciencedaily.com) Rates of traumatic injury among workers in the Oregon agricultural and construction sectors are significantly higher during periods of high heat compared with periods of more moderate weather, a recent study found.
Published Cattle grazing with virtual fencing shows potential to create wildfire fuel breaks, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) The use of virtual fencing to manage cattle grazing on sagebrush rangelands has the potential to create fuel breaks needed to help fight wildfires, a recent study found.
Published Indoor air quality experiments show exposure risks while cooking, cleaning
(via sciencedaily.com) When you're cooking or cleaning inside your home, what chemicals are you breathing, and are they potentially harmful? Chemists have given us a solid start on the answer. A large, collaborative research experiment recently attempted to map the airborne chemistry of a typical home. Researchers performed typical home activities like cooking and cleaning and used sophisticated instrumentation to document the chemistry that resulted.
Published Now you don't have to wait for smoke to know where fires are likely to occur
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have developed a way to forecast which of the Great Basin's more than 60 million acres have the highest probability of a large rangeland fire. The forecasts come from a model developed by the researchers that combines measures of accumulated annual and perennial grass vegetation that is potential fire fuel with recent weather and climate data. When integrated, this information can be translated into maps showing the likelihood of a large wildfire -- greater than 1,000 acres--across the Great Basin. These forecasts also can be scaled down to predict fire risk for counties or even single pastures.
Published Pollutants from burning structures linger in waterways post-wildfire
(via sciencedaily.com) As the frequency of wildfires has increased, so have pollutants in the waters from burned watersheds, say researchers in a review paper that highlights the need for more research in the area.
Published New AI system predicts how to prevent wildfires
(via sciencedaily.com) A machine learning model can evaluate the effectiveness of different management strategies.
Published Smoke from the Black Summer wildfires in Australia impacted the climate and high altitude winds of the southern hemisphere for more than a year and a half
(via sciencedaily.com) The 2019/20 wildfires in Australia transported more smoke into the atmosphere than observed ever before anywhere in the world. In the so-called Black Summer, three times as many particles reached high air layers as in the previous record wildfires in Canada during summer 2017. Research now reveals the climate impact of these huge fires: Smoke particles with a total mass of around one million tonnes spread across the southern hemisphere and affected the climate for about one and a half years by warming the upper atmosphere and cooling the lower atmosphere close to Earth's surface.
Published The impact of megafires on estuaries from Australia's 'Black Summer'
(via sciencedaily.com) Estuaries are one of the most valuable biomes on Earth, and megafires -- like Australia's 2019/20 Black Summer fires -- represent an emerging threat to estuarine and coastal ecosystems, with the extent and proximity of the wildfire influencing the impact on estuaries.
Published Ancient landslide destroyed area size of Cincinnati
(via sciencedaily.com) University of Cincinnati geologists reconstructed a massive landslide in Nevada that wiped out an area the size of a small city more than 5 million years ago. Researchers pieced together details of the Blue Diamond landslide, a natural disaster that sent rocks and boulders tumbling more than 6 miles across what is now a desert outside Las Vegas. The landslide in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area had such mass and force that it propelled fragmented rock 2 miles uphill, cresting the enormous Blue Diamond Hill, and flattened an area larger than downtown Cincinnati. Rubble from the landslide stretches over an area of more than 7 square miles.
Published Wildfire experts provide guidance for new research directions
(via sciencedaily.com) A new paper by dozens of wildfire experts across the nation highlights the need for a more strategic and interdisciplinary approach to pursuing wildfire research and protecting vulnerable communities.
Published Dry lightning sparks some of the most destructive and costly wildfires in California
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed the first long-term climatology of dry lightning -- lightning which occurs with less than 2.5mm of rainfall -- in central and northern California.
Published Air pollution, including during wildfires, shows ill effects in children
(via sciencedaily.com) New research linking air pollution data from federal monitors in the Sacramento area of California, including during significant fires, is showing ill effects of pollution exposure among children, a new study suggests.
Published We need to change how we think about soil
(via sciencedaily.com) With record temperatures this summer along with dry conditions, ongoing concerns about food security, wildlife habitats and biodiversity, having a healthy soil system is more vital and challenging than ever before. But what does the term 'soil health' mean and how should we measure it? New research says that how we think about, measure and study soil must be changed to give a better understanding of how to manage this resource effectively, with academics proposing an entirely new approach for assessing soil health.
Published Wildfires disproportionately affect the poor
(via sciencedaily.com) With fires raging from California to Alaska, the 2022 wildfire season is off to a violent start. It's an ominous sign of what promises to be another record-breaking fire season in the U.S. Roughly 2 million acres burned last month. And major fires are currently scorching Idaho, Utah and California, threatening tens of thousands of Americans' homes and livelihoods. Many of those at risk are lower-income Americans who face canceled homeowners insurance policies and rising premiums, according to new research.
Published How charred detritus dispersed from Goleta Beach in wake of 2018 Montecito, California, debris flow
(via sciencedaily.com) The catastrophic debris flow that affected Montecito, Calif., in early January, 2018 was the result of a rare confluence of severe events. The Thomas Fire had been raging for weeks in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and an unusually strong winter storm dumped half an inch of rain in five minutes on the newly-charred hills above the suburban enclave. With the tough vegetation that holds the hillsides in place burned off by the fire, tons of water, silt, burnt plant matter and rocks roared down the slopes and engulfed the community below, causing massive damage and the death of 23 residents.
Published Smoke from Western wildfires can influence Arctic sea ice
(via sciencedaily.com) Sea ice and wildfires may be more interconnected than previously thought, according to new research.
Published Western U.S. wildfire smoke plumes are getting taller, researchers find
(via sciencedaily.com) In recent years the plumes of smoke crawling upward from Western wildfires have trended taller, with more smoke and aerosols lofted up where they can spread farther and impact air quality over a wider area. The likely cause is climate change, with decreased precipitation and increased aridity in the Western U.S. that intensifies wildfire activity.