Global Warming Fuels U.S. Forest Fires

 

Global Warming Fuels U.S. Forest Fires

By Sara Goudarzi, LiveScience Staff Writer                                       

A recent increase in wildfire activity has been correlated with rising seasonal temperatures and the earlier arrival of spring, a new study concludes.

Looking at a database of 1,166 forest wildfires from 1970 to 2003 in the western United States , researchers compared the number and potency of wildfires to spring and summer temperatures and the timing of snowmelts.

Wildfire season and potency increased “suddenly and dramatically” in the late 1980’s, the scientists say.

“The increase in large wildfires appears to be another part of a chain of reactions to climate warming,” read more Published by: http://www.livescience.com

More Large Forest Fires Linked to Climate Change

 

More Large Forest Fires Linked to Climate Change
by Mari N. Jensen, UA Communications

  Large forest fires have occurred more frequently in the western United States since the mid-1980s as spring temperatures increased, mountain snows melted earlier and summers got hotter, according to new research.

Almost seven times more forested federal land burned during the 1987-2003 period than during the prior 17 years. In addition, large fires occurred about four times more often during the latter period.

The research is the most systematic analysis to date of recent changes in forest fire activity in the western United States. read more Published by:

California Wildfires and Global Warming

 

 

Wildfires are More Frequent and Intense Due to Climate Change  

Photo: Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo

The wildfires consuming Southern California are extraordinary: Extraordinary because they have claimed so many homes. extraordinary because they started so quickly and have burned so intensely. Extraordinary because they are exhausting the formidable firefighting resources in a region used to wildfire.

But in the years to come, they may become ordinary. Published by: http://www.thedailygreen.com/read more