Wildfires create airborne plumes of organic and inorganic matter as they burn. These particles can nucleate cloud-forming ice crystals and affect cloud dynamics, precipitation, and climate.
wildfire
Posted inScience Updates
Advances in Satellite Data for Wildfire Smoke Forecasting
Observations from the newest geostationary Earth-observing satellites are offering valuable views of fire progression and smoke plume development and helping simulate impacts from large wildfires.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Evaluating Environmental Predictors of Western U.S. Wildfires
A new analysis highlights the importance of carefully selecting the environmental variables used to drive future changes in wildfire burn area in climate models.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Deciphering Reactive Nitrogen Emissions from Wildfire Smoke
In-situ data gathered from an aircraft flying over 23 western US wildfires in 2018 reveal the importance of reduced nitrogen, shedding insights on ozone and aerosol formation from wildfires.
Posted inNews
Wildfires May Exacerbate Asthma in the Western United States
A new study predicts that by the 2050s, wildfire smoke will cause the region to spend $850 million more every year to treat asthma.
Posted inNews
Homes and Other Buildings Abound in Natural Hazard Hot Spots
Researchers mined maps of natural hazards and land use to show that nearly 60% of structures are built in regions at high risk of earthquakes, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and/or tornadoes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Australia’s Most Extreme Bushfire Season, Statistically Speaking
Researchers identified climatic and geomorphic risk factors that led to record-breaking fires across Australia during the 2019–2020 fire season.
Posted inNews
Biggest Risk to Surface Water After a Wildfire? It’s Complicated
Whether you’re considering short-term or long-term changes to water quality after a wildfire, scientists agree that sedimentation is a big concern.
Posted inScience Updates
Soil Signals Tell of Landscape Disturbances
The lasting influence humans have on Earth’s critical zone—and how geologic forces have mediated those influences—is revealed in studies of soil and carbon migration.
Posted inNews
COVID-19 Lockdown Reduces Forest Fires in the Western Himalayas
The overlap between peak fire season and pandemic response has made for a serendipitous experiment in forest fires in two Indian states. Humans, not lightning, seem to be the likeliest culprit.