Smoke consequences of new wildfire regimes driven by climate change

McKenzie, Donald; Shankar, Uma; Keane, Robert E.; Stavros, E. Natasha; Heilman, Warren E.; Fox, Douglas G.; Riebau, Allen C.

doi:10.1002/2014ef000019

Cited by 15 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Wildfires represent a serious threat for land managers and property owners; in the last few years, this threat has significantly expanded (Peters et al, 2013). The literature also suggests that climate change will continue to enhance potential forest fire activity in different regions of the world (McKenzie et al, 2014;Abatzoglou and Williams, 2016). Remote-sensing technologies can be very useful in monitoring such hazards (Schroeder et al, 2016).…”

Section: Wildfiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review article: the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for natural hazards monitoring and management

Giordan

Hayakawa

Nex

et al. 2018

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

131

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Abstract. The number of scientific studies that consider possible applications of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for the management of natural hazards effects and the identification of occurred damages strongly increased in the last decade. Nowadays, in the scientific community, the use of these systems is not a novelty, but a deeper analysis of the literature shows a lack of codified complex methodologies that can be used not only for scientific experiments but also for normal codified emergency operations. RPASs can acquire on-demand ultra-high-resolution images that can be used for the identification of active processes such as landslides or volcanic activities but can also define the effects of earthquakes, wildfires and floods. In this paper, we present a review of published literature that describes experimental methodologies developed for the study and monitoring of natural hazards. IntroductionIn the last three decades, the number of natural disasters showed a positive trend with an increase in the number of affected populations. Disasters not only affected the poor and characteristically more vulnerable countries but also those thought to be better protected. The Annual Disaster Statistical Review describes recent impacts of natural disasters on the population and reports 342 naturally triggered disasters in 2016 (Guha-Sapir et al., 2017). This is less than the annual average disaster frequency observed from 2006 to 2015 (376.4 events). However, natural disasters are still responsible for a high number of casualties (8733 death). In the period 2006-2015, the average number of causalities caused annually by natural disasters is 69 827. In 2016, hydrological disasters (177) had the largest share in natural disaster occurrence (51.8 %), followed by meteorological disasters (96; 28.1 %), climatological disasters (38; 11.1 %) and geophysical disasters (31; 9.1 %) (Guha-Sapir et al., 2017). To face these disasters, one of the most important solutions is the use of systems able to provide an adequate level of information for correctly understanding these events and their evolution. In this context, surveying and monitoring natural hazards gained importance. In particular, during the emergency phase it is very important to evaluate and control the phenomenon of evolution, preferably operating in near real time or real time, and consequently, use this information for a better risk assessment scenario. The available acquired data must be processed rapidly to support the emergency services and decision makers.Recently, the use of remote sensing (satellite and airborne platform) in the field of natural hazards and disasters has become common, also supported by the increase in geospatial technologies and the ability to provide and process up-to-date imagery (Joyce et al., 2009;Tarolli, 2014). Remotely sensed data play an integral role in predicting hazard events such as floods and landslides, subsidence events and other ground instabilities. Because of their acquisition mode and capabilPublished by Copern...

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Section: Wildfiresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review article: the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for natural hazards monitoring and management

Giordan

Hayakawa

Nex

et al. 2018

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

131

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Wildfire is a major source of ecosystem disturbance (Burton, ; Isaak et al, ; Rieman et al, ), and the impact of wildfire on society is wide‐ranging (Dombeck et al, : Gill et al, ; Kochi et al, ; McKenzie et al, ). Wildfire also plays a role in the dynamics of Earth's carbon budget (Balshi et al, ; Bird et al, ; Bowman et al, ; Mack et al, ; Maestrini et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric and Surface Climate Associated With 1986–2013 Wildfires in North America

2018

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We analyze climate simulations conducted with the RegCM3 regional climate model on 50‐ and 15‐km model grids to diagnose the dependence of wildfire incidence and area burned variations on monthly climate long‐term means and anomalies over North America for the period 1986–2013. We created a new wildfire database by merging the Fire Program Analysis Fire‐Occurrence Database, the National Interagency Fire Center Fire History Data, and the Canadian National Fire Database. The database includes 2,083,865 daily fire starts that burned a total of 1.25 × 108 ha in North America. We derive long‐term climatologies, standardized gamma indices, and composite climate anomalies of atmospheric circulation (500‐hPa height and wind) and various surface fields (e.g., solar radiation, soil moisture, vapor pressure deficit, and latent and sensible heat fluxes) to illustrate the climatology of burned area. The immediate and lagged monthly atmospheric circulation and surface climate anomalies differentiate high‐ and low‐fire years and the role of El Niño–Southern Oscillation in wildfire occurrence. Our approach demonstrates the association of the seasonal cycles of wildfire and climate and the strong role of climatic variability in modulating the seasonal cycle as a control of wildfire on monthly time scales.

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“…Tens of thousands of wildland fires burn between 3 million and 10 million acres of land depending on year in the US alone. These fires are predicted to continue or worsen in many regions throughout the world (18) . During these wildland fire events, emissions of wood smoke PM 2.5 can impact ambient air quality in communities thousands of kilometers downwind (20) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With predicted increases in forest fires (18) , the number of wildland firefighter crews deployed to fight these fires will also increase. These crews have been shown to experience smoke PM levels up to 2,930 μg/m 3 with average levels of exposure during wildland firefighting activities ranging from 509–558 μg/m 3 , and average CO levels of exposure ranging from 1.3–1.7 ppm (25) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lung function measures following simulated wildland firefighter exposures

Ferguson

Semmens

Weiler

et al. 2017

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Across the world, biomass smoke is a major source of air pollution and is linked with a variety of adverse health effects. This is particularly true in the western US where wood smoke from wildland forest fires are a significant source of PM2.5. Wildland firefighters are impacted as they experience elevated PM2.5 concentrations over extended periods of time, often occurring during physical exertion. Various epidemiological studies have investigated wood smoke impacts on human health, including occupational field exposures experienced by wildland firefighters. As there are numerous challenges in carrying out these field studies, having the ability to research the potential health impacts to this occupational cohort in a controlled setting would provide important information that could be translated to the field setting. To this end, we have carried out a simulated wildland firefighter exposure study in a wood smoke inhalation facility. Utilizing a randomized crossover trial design, we exposed 10 participants once to clean filtered-air, 250 μg/m3, and 500 μg/m3 wood stove-generated wood smoke PM2.5. Participants exercised on a treadmill at an absolute intensity designed to simulate wildland firefighting for 1.5 hours. In addition to measured PM2.5 smoke concentrations, mean levels of CO2, CO, and % relative humidity were continuously monitored and recorded and were representative of occupational ‘real-world’ exposures. Pulmonary function was measured at three time points: before, immediately after, and 1-hour post-exposure. Although there were some reductions in FVC, FEV1, and FVC:FEV1 measures, results of the spirometry testing did not show significant changes in lung function. The development of this wood smoke inhalational facility provides a platform to further address unique research questions related to wood smoke exposures and associated adverse health effects.

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Smoke consequences of new wildfire regimes driven by climate change

Cited by 15 publications

References 74 publications

Review article: the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for natural hazards monitoring and management

Review article: the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) for natural hazards monitoring and management

Atmospheric and Surface Climate Associated With 1986–2013 Wildfires in North America

Lung function measures following simulated wildland firefighter exposures

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