Climate, wildfire, and erosion ensemble foretells more sediment in western USA watersheds

Sankey, Joel B.; Kreitler, Jason; Hawbaker, Todd J.; McVay, Jason; Miller, Mary Ellen; Mueller, Erich R.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Lowe, Scott E.; Sankey, Temuulen Tsagaan

doi:10.1002/2017gl073979

Cited by 108 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…, Sankey et al. ). Assessments of western rangelands by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service suggest that ~21% of the region has been degraded to some degree (Herrick et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A large proportion of US drylands have undergone some level of degradation caused by historical and current land use, fire, and increasing aridity (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005, Pielke 2005, Neff et al 2008, Balch et al 2013, Sanderman et al 2017, Sankey et al 2017. Assessments of western rangelands by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service suggest that~21% of the region has been degraded to some degree (Herrick et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Erosion by wind is one of the principal processes associated with land degradation in drylands and is a significant concern to land managers and policymakers globally. In the drylands of North America, millions of tons of soil are lost to wind erosion annually. Of the 60 million ha in the United States identified as most vulnerable to wind erosion (arid and dominated by fine sandy soils), 64% are managed by federal agencies (37 million ha). Here we review the drivers and consequences of wind erosion and dust emissions on drylands in the United States, with an emphasis on actionable responses available to policymakers and practitioners. We find that while dryland soils are often relatively stable when intact, disturbances including fire, domestic livestock grazing, and off‐highway vehicles can increase horizontal eolian flux by an order of magnitude, in some cases as much as 40‐fold. A growing body of literature documents the large‐scale impacts of deposited dust changing the albedo of mountain snow cover and in some cases reducing regional water supplies by ~5%. Predicted future increases in aridity and extreme weather events, including drought, will likely increase wind erosion and consequent dust generation. Under a drier and more variable future climate, new and existing soil‐ and vegetation‐disturbing practices may interact in synergistic ways, with dire consequences for environments and society that are unforeseen to many but fairly predictable given current scientific understanding. Conventional restoration and reclamation approaches, which often entail surface disturbance and rely on adequate moisture to prevent erosion, also carry considerable erosion risk especially under drought conditions. Innovative approaches to dryland restoration that minimize surface disturbance may accomplish restoration or reclamation goals while limiting wind erosion risk. Finally, multidisciplinary and multijurisdictional approaches and perspectives are necessary to understand the complex processes driving dust emissions and provide timely, context‐specific information for mitigating the drivers and impacts of wind erosion and dust.

show abstract

“…, Sankey et al. ). Assessments of western rangelands by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service suggest that ~21% of the region has been degraded to some degree (Herrick et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The recent increases in burned area, potentially fire severity, and consequential post-fire erosion are of critical concern for water security, and post-fire sedimentation has already resulted in costly losses of water storage for major cities, such as Denver, CO (Bladon et al, 2014;Martin, 2016). Projections indicate that future increases in wildfire will cause sediment yields to at least double in 35% of western watersheds by 2050 (Sankey et al, 2017), thus, accelerating reductions, or potentially causing catastrophic losses, in water storage now relied upon by tens of millions of people. Replacing sedimented dams would be prohibitively expensive (Utah Division of Water Resources (UDWR), 2010), and given the recognition of the negative impacts of dams on river ecosystems, the construction of new dams is unlikely in the foreseeable future (Bunn & Arthington, 2002;Nilsson & Berggren, 2000;Poff et al, 1997).…”

Section: 1029/2018ef001006mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Critically, yet only recently recognized even within the scientific community, wildfire has the potential to cause rapid losses of water supply capacity in reservoirs (e.g., Bladon et al, 2014;Hallema et al, 2018;Martin, 2016;Sankey et al, 2017). Critically, yet only recently recognized even within the scientific community, wildfire has the potential to cause rapid losses of water supply capacity in reservoirs (e.g., Bladon et al, 2014;Hallema et al, 2018;Martin, 2016;Sankey et al, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the 1984 Perspective: Narrow Focus on Modern Wildfire Trends Underestimates Future Risks to Water Security

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The western United States remains well below historical wildfire activity, yet misconceptions abound in the public and news media that the area burning by wildfire each year in the American West is unprecedented. We submit that short-term records of wildfire and a disproportionate focus on recent fire trends within high-profile science stoke these misconceptions. Furthermore, we highlight serious risks to long-term water security (encompassing water supply, storage, and quality) that have only recently been recognized and are underestimated as the result of skewed perspectives of wildfire. Compiling several data sets, we illustrate a comprehensive history of western wildfire, demonstrate that the majority of western settlement occurred during an artificially and anomalously low period of wildfire in the twentieth century, and discuss the troubling implications the misalignment of wildfire activity and human development may have for the long-term projections of water security. A crucial first step toward realigning public perspectives will require scientists and journalists to present recent increases in wildfire area within the context and scale of longer-term trends. Second, proper housing development and resource management will require an appreciation for the differing western ecosystems and the flexibility to adopt varied approaches. These actions are critical for realigning public understanding of both the direct and indirect risks associated with wildfire and ensuring adequate and appropriate measures are taken as we navigate a future of increasing fire in the West.

show abstract

“…This coupling of landscape fire intensity and fire effects has been completed to predict the sensitivity of large trees, wildlife habitat, carbon pools, and sediment yield to wildfire exposure [113][114][115][116]. When no direct correlation between fire intensity and effects exist, a Bresponse functionĉ an be used.…”

Section: Predicting Sensitivity Through Range Of Variability Of Fire mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Landscape Vulnerability to Wildfire in the USA

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wildfire is an ever present, natural process shaping landscapes. Having the ability to accurately measure and predict wildfire occurrence and impacts to ecosystem goods and services, both retrospectively and prospectively, is critical for adaptive management of landscapes. Landscape vulnerability is a concept widely utilized in the ecosystem management literature that has not been explicitly defined, particularly with regard to wildfire. Vulnerability more broadly is defined by three primary components: exposure to the stressor, sensitivity to a range of stressor variability, and resilience following exposure. In this synthesis, we define vulnerability in the context of wildfire. We first identify the components of a guiding framework for a vulnerability assessment with respect to wildfire. We then address retrospective assessments of wildfire vulnerability and the data that have been developed and utilized to complete these assessments. Finally, we review the modeling efforts that allow for predictive and probabilistic assessment of future vulnerability. Throughout the synthesis, we highlight gaps in the research, data availability, and models used to complete vulnerability assessments.

show abstract

Climate, wildfire, and erosion ensemble foretells more sediment in western USA watersheds

Cited by 108 publications

References 47 publications

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

Wind erosion and dust from US drylands: a review of causes, consequences, and solutions in a changing world

Beyond the 1984 Perspective: Narrow Focus on Modern Wildfire Trends Underestimates Future Risks to Water Security

Assessing Landscape Vulnerability to Wildfire in the USA

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About