On the effects of wildfires on precipitation in Southern Africa

Sales, Fernando De; Okin, Gregory S.; Xue, Yongkang; Dintwe, K.

doi:10.1007/s00382-018-4174-7

Cited by 35 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Among the wildlife smoke epidemiological studies presented in Table S 1 , 29 studies are from North America, 1 from South America, 9 from Australia, 3 from Southeast Asia, and 6 from Europe. However, there were no studies from Africa where Savanna fires are common and intensification of wildfire frequency and scale is projected for the future [ 11 , 39 ]. More wildfire smoke studies should be carried out in these underrepresented regions where the public health system is more vulnerable, especially under the circumstances of global warming and increased wildland-urban interface.…”

Section: Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cardiovascular health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, wildland fires have occurred more frequently and with increased intensity in many fire-prone areas. In addition to the direct life and economic losses attributable to wildfires, the emitted smoke is a major contributor to ambient air pollution, leading to significant public health impacts. Wildfire smoke is a complex mixture of particulate matter (PM), gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. PM from wildfire smoke has a high content of elemental carbon and organic carbon, with lesser amounts of metal compounds. Epidemiological studies have consistently found an association between exposure to wildfire smoke (typically monitored as the PM concentration) and increased respiratory morbidity and mortality. However, previous reviews of the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure have not established a conclusive link between wildfire smoke exposure and adverse cardiovascular effects. In this review, we systematically evaluate published epidemiological observations, controlled clinical exposure studies, and toxicological studies focusing on evidence of wildfire smoke exposure and cardiovascular effects, and identify knowledge gaps. Improving exposure assessment and identifying sensitive cardiovascular endpoints will serve to better understand the association between exposure to wildfire smoke and cardiovascular effects and the mechanisms involved. Similarly, filling the knowledge gaps identified in this review will better define adverse cardiovascular health effects of exposure to wildfire smoke, thus informing risk assessments and potentially leading to the development of targeted interventional strategies to mitigate the health impacts of wildfire smoke.

show abstract

Section: Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cardiovascular health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, the availability of operational satellite-based products, such as land cover, temperature, rainfall, tree cover, etc., provide prospects for assessing and quantifying the impact of wildfires on the ecosystems and biodiversity. However, only a few studies [12][13][14] have exploited these products for this purpose. Using GLOBCOVER, the Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF), Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Fire Radiative Power (FRP) and the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) datasets, Cardozo, Shimabukuro, Pereira and Silva [12] found that biomass of broadleaved evergreen or semi-deciduous forest were mostly burned, attributed to grassland management practices, agricultural land clearing and the deforestation of the Amazon tropical rainforest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Spatio-Temporal Variability of Wildfires and their Impact on Sub-Saharan Ecosystems and Air Quality Using Multisource Remotely Sensed Data and Trend Analysis

Kganyago

Shikwambana

2019

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Globally, wildfires are considered the most commonly occurring disasters, resulting from natural and anthropogenic ignition sources. Wildfires consist of burning standing biomass at erratic degrees of intensity, severity, and frequency. Consequently, wildfires generate large amounts of smoke and other toxic pollutants that have devastating impacts on ambient air quality and human health. There is, therefore, a need for a comprehensive study that characterizes land-atmosphere interactions with regard to wildfires, critical for understanding the interrelated and multidimensional impacts of wildfires. Current studies have a limited scope and a narrow focus, usually only focusing on one aspect of wildfire impacts, such as air quality without simultaneously considering the impacts on land surface changes and vice versa. In this study, we use several multisource data to determine the spatial distribution, frequency, disturbance characteristics of and variability and distribution of pollutants emitted by wildfires. The specific objectives were to (1) study the sources of wildfires and the period they are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa over a 9 year period, i.e., 2007-2016, (2) estimate the seasonal disturbance of wildfires on various vegetation types, (3) determine the spatial distribution of black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke, and (4) determine the vertical height distribution of smoke. The results show largest burned areas in December-January-February (DJF), June-July-August (JJA) and September-October-November (SON) seasons, and reciprocal high emissions of BC, CO, and smoke, as observed by Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). In addition, the results reveal an increasing trend in the magnitude of BC, and CO concentration driven by meteorological conditions such as low precipitation, low relative humidity, and low latent heat flux. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of multisource remotely sensed data in characterising long-term wildfire patterns and associated emissions. The results in this study are critical for informing better regional fire management and air quality control strategies to preserve endangered species and habitats, promote sustainable land management, and reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.

show abstract

“…2019, 11, 2254; doi:10.3390/rs11192254 www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing therefore, impact the composition of the atmosphere [4,5]. In addition, fire emissions can impact air quality [6,7], human health [8,9], clouds, precipitation and the hydrological cycle [10][11][12], radiative forcings [13], and surface heat, moisture, and carbon fluxes [14]. Even with the wide variation of aerosols and trace gases components from one burning event to another, fire emissions primarily consist of carbon dioxide (CO 2 , 71.4%), water (H 2 O, 21%), and carbon monoxide (CO, 5.5%) [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and Trends of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Fire Emissions in the Brazilian Cerrado during 2002–2017

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fire occurrence is a major disturbance in the Brazilian Cerrado, which is driven by both natural and anthropogenic activities. Despite increasing efforts for monitoring the Cerrado, a biome-scale study for quantifying and understanding the variability of fire emissions is still needed. We aimed at characterizing and finding trends in Particulate Matter with diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) fire emissions in the Brazilian Cerrado using the PREP-CHEM-SRC emissions preprocessing tool and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fires datasets for the 2002–2017 period. Our results showed that, on average, the Cerrado emitted 1.08 Tg year−1 of PM2.5 associated with fires, accounting for 25% and 15% of the PM2.5 fire emissions in Brazil and South America, respectively. Most of the PM2.5 fire emissions were concentrated in the end of the dry season (August, 0.224 Tg month−1 and September, 0.386 Tg month−1) and in the transitional month (October, 0.210 Tg month−1). Annually, 66% of the total emissions occurred over the savanna land cover; however, active fires that were detected in the evergreen broadleaf land cover tended to emit more than active fires occurring in the savanna land cover. Spatially, each 0.1° grid cell emitted, on average, 0.5 Mg km−2 year−1 of PM2.5 associated with fires, but the values can reach to 16.6 Mg km−2 year−1 in a single cell. Higher estimates of PM2.5 emissions associated with fires were mostly concentrated in the northern region, which is the current agricultural expansion frontier in this biome. When considering the entire Cerrado, we found an annual decreasing trend representing -1.78% of the annual average PM2.5 emitted from fires during the period analyzed, however, the grid cell analysis found annual trends representing ± 35% of the annual average PM2.5 fire emissions.

show abstract

On the effects of wildfires on precipitation in Southern Africa

Cited by 35 publications

References 35 publications

Cardiovascular health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure

Cardiovascular health impacts of wildfire smoke exposure

Assessing Spatio-Temporal Variability of Wildfires and their Impact on Sub-Saharan Ecosystems and Air Quality Using Multisource Remotely Sensed Data and Trend Analysis

Characterization and Trends of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Fire Emissions in the Brazilian Cerrado during 2002–2017

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About