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Pagano JJ, Garner AJ, Hopke PK, Pagano JK, Gawley WG, Holsen TM. Atmospheric Concentrations and Potential Sources of Dioxin-Like Contaminants to Acadia National Park. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 356:124287. [PMID: 38823547 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Acadia National Park (ANP) is located on Mt. Desert Island, ME on the U.S. Atlantic coast. ANP is routinely a top-ten most popular National Park with over four million visits in 2022. The overall contribution and negative effects of long-range atmospheric transport and local sources of dioxin-like contaminants endangering natural and wildlife resources is unknown. Dioxin-like (DL) contaminants polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (∑PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (∑PCDF), non-ortho coplanar PCBs (∑CP4), and polychlorinated naphthalenes (∑PCNs) were measured at the McFarland Hill air monitoring station (44.37⁰N, 68.26⁰W). On a mass/volume basis, total PCNs averaged 90.9 % (788 fg/m3) of DL contaminants measured annually, with 92.9 % of the collected total in the vapor-phase. Alternatively, total dioxin/furans (∑PCDD/Fs) represented 71.6 % of the total toxic equivalence (∑TEQ) (1.018 fg-TEQ/m3), with 69.7 % in the particulate-phase. Maximum concentrations measured for individual sampling events for ∑PCDD/F, ∑CP4, and ∑PCN were 159 (winter), 139 (summer), and 2100 (autumn), fg/m3 respectively. Whereas the maximum ∑TEQ concentrations for individual sampling events for ∑PCDD/F, ∑CP4, and ∑PCN were 2.8 (autumn), 0.38 (summer), and 0.71 (autumn), fg-TEQ/m3 respectively. Pearson correlations were calculated for ∑PCDD/Fs and ∑PCN particulate/vapor-phase air concentrations and PM2.5 wood smoke "indicator" species. The most significant correlations were observed in autumn for particulate-phase ∑PCDD/Fs suggesting a relationship between visitation-generated combustion sources (campfires and/or waste burning) or climate-change mediated forest fires. Significant Clausius-Clapeyron (C-C) correlations observed for particulate-phase ∑PCDDs (r2=0.567) as ambient temperatures decreased suggests a connection between localized domestic heating sources or visitor-based burning of wood/trash resources. Alternatively, highly significant C-C vapor-phase ∑CP4-PCBs correlations (r2=0.815) implies that the majority of ∑CP4-PCB loading to ANP is from long-range atmospheric transport processes. Based on these findings, Acadia National Park should be classified as a remote site with minor depositional impacts from ∑PCDD/Fs, ∑CP4-PCBs, and ∑PCN atmospheric transport or local diffuse sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Pagano
- Center for Air and Aquatic Resources Engineering and Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699.
| | - Andrew J Garner
- General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, VA 22042
| | - Philip K Hopke
- University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642; Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699
| | | | - William G Gawley
- Acadia National Park, National Park Service, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
| | - Thomas M Holsen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699
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2
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Synolakis CE, Karagiannis GM. Wildfire risk management in the era of climate change. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae151. [PMID: 38715728 PMCID: PMC11075647 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
The August 8, 2023R Lahaina fire refocused attention on wildfires, public alerts, and emergency management. Wildfire risk is on the rise, precipitated through a combination of climate change, increased development in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), decades of unmitigated biomass accumulation in forests, and a long history of emphasis on fire suppression over hazard mitigation. Stemming the tide of wildfire death and destruction will involve bringing together diverse scientific disciplines into policy. Renewed emphasis is needed on emergency alerts and community evacuations. Land management strategies need to account for the impact of climate change and hazard mitigation on forest ecosystems. Here, we propose a long-term strategy consisting of integrating wildfire risk management in wider-scope forest land management policies and strategies, and we discuss new technologies and possible scientific breakthroughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costas Emmanuel Synolakis
- Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, 3620 South Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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3
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Licari FW, Patil S. Climate change and the unforeseen challenges for dental practice. J Am Dent Assoc 2024; 155:191-192. [PMID: 38244018 DOI: 10.1016/j.adaj.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
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4
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Jaffe DA, Ninneman M, Nguyen L, Lee H, Hu L, Ketcherside D, Jin L, Cope E, Lyman S, Jones C, O'Neil T, Mansfield ML. Key results from the salt lake regional smoke, ozone, and aerosol study (SAMOZA). JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2024; 74:163-180. [PMID: 38198293 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2024.2301956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The Northern Wasatch Front area is one of ~ 50 metropolitan regions in the U.S. that do not meet the 2015 O3 standard. To better understand the causes of high O3 days in this region we conducted the Salt Lake regional Smoke, Ozone and Aerosol Study (SAMOZA) in the summer of 2022. The primary goals of SAMOZA were: Measure a suite of VOCs, by Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) and the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridge method.Evaluate whether the standard UV O3 measurements made in SLC show a positive bias during smoke events, as has been suggested in some recent studies.Use the observations to conduct photochemical modeling and statistical/machine learning analyses to understand photochemistry on both smoke-influenced and non-smoke days.Implications: The Northern Wasatch Front area is one of ~50 metropolitan regions in the U.S. that do not meet the 2015 O3 standard. To better understand the causes of high O3 days in this region we conducted the Salt Lake regional Smoke, Ozone and Aerosol Study (SAMOZA) in the summer of 2022. A number of policy relevant findings are identified in the manuscript including role of smoke and NOx vs VOC sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Jaffe
- School of STEM, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Matt Ninneman
- School of STEM, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA
| | - Linh Nguyen
- School of STEM, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA
| | - Haebum Lee
- School of STEM, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA, USA
| | - Lu Hu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Damien Ketcherside
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Lixu Jin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Emily Cope
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Seth Lyman
- Bingham Research Center, Utah State University, Vernal, UT, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Colleen Jones
- Bingham Research Center, Utah State University, Vernal, UT, USA
| | - Trevor O'Neil
- Bingham Research Center, Utah State University, Vernal, UT, USA
| | - Marc L Mansfield
- Bingham Research Center, Utah State University, Vernal, UT, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
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5
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Lee H, Jaffe DA. Impact of wildfire smoke on ozone concentrations using a Generalized Additive model in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, 2006-2022. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2024; 74:116-130. [PMID: 38051007 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2023.2291197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the impact of wildfires on maximum daily 8-hr average ozone concentrations (MDA8 O3) at four sites in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah for May to September for 2006-2022. Smoke days, which were identified by a combination of overhead satellite smoke detection and surface PM2.5 data and accounted for approximately 9% of the total number of days, exhibited O3 levels 6.8 to 8.9 ppb higher than no-smoke days and were predominantly characterized by high daily maximum temperatures and low relative humidity. A Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was developed to quantify the impact of wildfire contributions to O3. The GAM, which provides smooth functions that make the interpretation of relationships more intuitive, employed 17 predictors and demonstrated reliable performance in various evaluation metrics. The mean of the residuals for all sites was approximately zero for the training and cross-validation data and 5.1 ppb for smoke days. We developed three approaches to estimate the contribution of smoke to O3 from the model residuals. These generate a minimum and maximum contribution for each smoke day. The average of the minimum and maximum wildfire contributions to O3 for the SLC sites was 5.1 and 8.5 ppb, respectively. Between 2006 and 2022, an increasing trend in the wildfire contributions to O3 was observed in SLC. Moreover, trends of the fourth-highest MDA8 O3 before and after removing the wildfire contributions to O3 at the SLC Hawthorne site in 2006-2022 were quite different. Whereas the unadjusted data do not meet the current O3 standard, after removing the contributions from wildfires the SLC region is close to achieving levels that are consistent with meeting the O3 standard. We also found that the wildfire contribution during smoke days was particularly high under conditions of high temperature, high PM2.5 concentration, and low cloud fraction.Implications: In this study, we quantified the impact of wildfires on maximum daily 8-hr average ozone concentrations (MDA8 O3) in Salt Lake City, Utah, using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM). The GAM results demonstrate the importance of wildfires as contributors to O3 air pollution. Our results suggest that states could use the GAM approach to assist in quantifying the wildfire contribution to MDA8 O3 under the U.S. EPA exceptional events rule. These findings also highlight the need for strategies to manage wildfires and their subsequent impacts on air quality in an era of climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haebum Lee
- School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, University of Washington, Bothell, WA, USA
| | - Daniel A Jaffe
- School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, University of Washington, Bothell, WA, USA
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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6
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Wang J, Chen Y, Tett SFB, Stone D, Nie J, Feng J, Yan Z, Zhai P, Ge Q. Storyline attribution of human influence on a record-breaking spatially compounding flood-heat event. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi2714. [PMID: 38019915 PMCID: PMC10686554 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi2714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Attribution of compound events informs preparedness for emerging hazards with disproportionate impacts. However, the task remains challenging because space-time interactions among extremes and uncertain dynamic changes are not satisfactorily addressed in the well-established attribution framework. For attributing the 2020 record-breaking spatially compounding flood-heat event in China, we conduct a storyline attribution analysis by designing simulation experiments via a weather forecast model, quantifying component-based attributable changes, and comparing with historical flow analogs. We quantify that given the large-scale circulation, anthropogenic influence to date has exacerbated the extreme Mei-yu rainfall in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River during June-July 2020 by ~6.5% and warmed the co-occurring seasonal extreme heat in South China by ~1°C. Our projections show a further intensification of the compound event by the end of this century, with moderate emissions making the rainfall totals ~14% larger and the season ~2.1°C warmer in South China than the 2020 status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Simon F. B. Tett
- School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dáithí Stone
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand
| | - Ji Nie
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinming Feng
- Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongwei Yan
- Key Laboratory of Regional Climate-Environment for Temperate East Asia, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Panmao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Quansheng Ge
- The Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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7
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Shabbir AH, Ji J, Groninger JW, Gueye GN, Knouft JH, van Etten EJB, Zhang J. Climate predicts wildland fire extent across China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 896:164987. [PMID: 37394078 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Wildland fire extent varies seasonally and interannually in response to climatic and landscape-level drivers, yet predicting wildfires remains a challenge. Existing linear models that characterize climate and wildland fire relationships fail to account for non-stationary and non-linear associations, thus limiting prediction accuracy. To account for non-stationary and non-linear effects, we use time-series climate and wildfire extent data from across China with unit root methods, thus providing an approach for improved wildfire prediction. Results from this approach suggest that wildland area burned is sensitive to vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and maximum temperature changes over short and long-term scenarios. Moreover, repeated fires constrain system variability resulting in non-stationarity responses. We conclude that an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to dynamic simulation models better elucidates interactions between climate and wildfire compared to more commonly used linear models. We suggest that this approach will provide insights into a better understanding of complex ecological relationships and represents a significant step toward the development of guidance for regional planners hoping to address climate-driven increases in wildfire incidence and impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Hassan Shabbir
- State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jie Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Fire Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.
| | - John W Groninger
- Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, Mail Code 4411, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Ghislain N Gueye
- Department of Economics and Finance, College of Business, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272, USA
| | - Jason H Knouft
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA; National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, One Confluence Way, East Alton, IL 62024, USA
| | - Eddie J B van Etten
- Centre for Ecosystem Management, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Perth 6027, Australia
| | - Jiquan Zhang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Jilin Province Science and Technology Innovation Center of Agro-meteorological Disaster Risk Assessment and Prevention, Changchun 130024, China; Key Laboratory for Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130024, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Changchun 130024, China
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8
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Ferrer I, Thurman EM. Chemical tracers for Wildfires-Analysis of runoff surface Water by LC/Q-TOF-MS. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 339:139747. [PMID: 37549742 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
A quantitative methodology using high resolution mass spectrometry was developed for the identification of organic compounds derived from wildfires in surface water samples. The methodology involves the use of solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by detection using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS) for a group of fourteen chemical compounds (pyridine, benzene, naphthalene and biphenyl polycarboxylic acids). All compounds were successfully separated chromatographically using a reversed phase column and they were identified by accurate mass using the deprotonated species and their main fragment ions. The method produced excellent accuracies (>95%) and precisions (3-10%) for all the compounds studied. This methodology was successfully applied to the identification of fourteen compounds in runoff surface waters impacted by wildfires in Colorado in 2020. Concentrations of individual compounds ranging from 0.1 to 59.5 μg/L were found in wildfire impacted waters, with totals of ∼200 μg/L, thus showing these compounds as chemical tracers of wildfire events at significantly high concentrations. In addition, non-target analysis using chromatography patterns and mass spectrometry identification by MS-MS revealed other polycarboxylic acid isomers were also present in runoff surface water samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imma Ferrer
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
| | - E Michael Thurman
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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9
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Burke M, Childs ML, de la Cuesta B, Qiu M, Li J, Gould CF, Heft-Neal S, Wara M. The contribution of wildfire to PM 2.5 trends in the USA. Nature 2023; 622:761-766. [PMID: 37730996 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Steady improvements in ambient air quality in the USA over the past several decades, in part a result of public policy1,2, have led to public health benefits1-4. However, recent trends in ambient concentrations of particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), a pollutant regulated under the Clean Air Act1, have stagnated or begun to reverse throughout much of the USA5. Here we use a combination of ground- and satellite-based air pollution data from 2000 to 2022 to quantify the contribution of wildfire smoke to these PM2.5 trends. We find that since at least 2016, wildfire smoke has influenced trends in average annual PM2.5 concentrations in nearly three-quarters of states in the contiguous USA, eroding about 25% of previous multi-decadal progress in reducing PM2.5 concentrations on average in those states, equivalent to 4 years of air quality progress, and more than 50% in many western states. Smoke influence on trends in the number of days with extreme PM2.5 concentrations is detectable by 2011, but the influence can be detected primarily in western and mid-western states. Wildfire-driven increases in ambient PM2.5 concentrations are unregulated under current air pollution law6 and, in the absence of further interventions, we show that the contribution of wildfire to regional and national air quality trends is likely to grow as the climate continues to warm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marshall Burke
- Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Marissa L Childs
- Center for the Environment, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brandon de la Cuesta
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Minghao Qiu
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Li
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Carlos F Gould
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sam Heft-Neal
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Wara
- Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Woods Institute of the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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10
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Brown PT, Hanley H, Mahesh A, Reed C, Strenfel SJ, Davis SJ, Kochanski AK, Clements CB. Climate warming increases extreme daily wildfire growth risk in California. Nature 2023; 621:760-766. [PMID: 37648863 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06444-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
California has experienced enhanced extreme wildfire behaviour in recent years1-3, leading to substantial loss of life and property4,5. Some portion of the change in wildfire behaviour is attributable to anthropogenic climate warming, but formally quantifying this contribution is difficult because of numerous confounding factors6,7 and because wildfires are below the grid scale of global climate models. Here we use machine learning to quantify empirical relationships between temperature (as well as the influence of temperature on aridity) and the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth (>10,000 acres) in California and find that the influence of temperature on the risk is primarily mediated through its influence on fuel moisture. We use the uncovered relationships to estimate the changes in extreme daily wildfire growth risk under anthropogenic warming by subjecting historical fires from 2003 to 2020 to differing background climatological temperatures and aridity conditions. We find that the influence of anthropogenic warming on the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth varies appreciably on a fire-by-fire and day-by-day basis, depending on whether or not climate warming pushes conditions over certain thresholds of aridity, such as 1.5 kPa of vapour-pressure deficit and 10% dead fuel moisture. So far, anthropogenic warming has enhanced the aggregate expected frequency of extreme daily wildfire growth by 25% (5-95 range of 14-36%), on average, relative to preindustrial conditions. But for some fires, there was approximately no change, and for other fires, the enhancement has been as much as 461%. When historical fires are subjected to a range of projected end-of-century conditions, the aggregate expected frequency of extreme daily wildfire growth events increases by 59% (5-95 range of 47-71%) under a low SSP1-2.6 emissions scenario compared with an increase of 172% (5-95 range of 156-188%) under a very high SSP5-8.5 emissions scenario, relative to preindustrial conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick T Brown
- Climate and Energy Team, The Breakthrough Institute, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA.
- Energy Policy and Climate Program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Holt Hanley
- Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
- Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
- KSBW News, Salinas, CA, USA
| | - Ankur Mahesh
- Climate and Ecosystems Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Colorado Reed
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Steven J Davis
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Adam K Kochanski
- Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
- Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Craig B Clements
- Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
- Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San José State University, San Jose, CA, USA
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11
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Wang P, Sun S, Lam S, Lockwood WW. New insights into the biology and development of lung cancer in never smokers-implications for early detection and treatment. J Transl Med 2023; 21:585. [PMID: 37653450 PMCID: PMC10472682 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04430-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Despite never smokers comprising between 10 and 25% of all cases, lung cancer in never smokers (LCNS) is relatively under characterized from an etiological and biological perspective. The application of multi-omics techniques on large patient cohorts has significantly advanced the current understanding of LCNS tumor biology. By synthesizing the findings of multi-omics studies on LCNS from a clinical perspective, we can directly translate knowledge regarding tumor biology into implications for patient care. Primarily focused on never smokers with lung adenocarcinoma, this review details the predominance of driver mutations, particularly in East Asian patients, as well as the frequency and importance of germline variants in LCNS. The mutational patterns present in LCNS tumors are thoroughly explored, highlighting the high abundance of the APOBEC signature. Moreover, this review recognizes the spectrum of immune profiles present in LCNS tumors and posits how it can be translated to treatment selection. The recurring and novel insights from multi-omics studies on LCNS tumor biology have a wide range of clinical implications. Risk factors such as exposure to outdoor air pollution, second hand smoke, and potentially diet have a genomic imprint in LCNS at varying degrees, and although they do not encompass all LCNS cases, they can be leveraged to stratify risk. Germline variants similarly contribute to a notable proportion of LCNS, which warrants detailed documentation of family history of lung cancer among never smokers and demonstrates value in developing testing for pathogenic variants in never smokers for early detection in the future. Molecular driver subtypes and specific co-mutations and mutational signatures have prognostic value in LCNS and can guide treatment selection. LCNS tumors with no known driver alterations tend to be stem-like and genes contributing to this state may serve as potential therapeutic targets. Overall, the comprehensive findings of multi-omics studies exert a wide influence on clinical management and future research directions in the realm of LCNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyao Wang
- Department of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Interdisciplinary Oncology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sophie Sun
- Department of Medical Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Agency Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stephen Lam
- Department of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William W Lockwood
- Department of Integrative Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Interdisciplinary Oncology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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12
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Yin S. Effect of biomass burning on premature mortality associated with long-term exposure to PM 2.5 in Equatorial Asia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 330:117154. [PMID: 36584473 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The health burden from exposure to ambient fine particulates (PM2.5) in Equatorial Asia is substantially affected by the peatland fires in Indonesia, but the long-term health effect of the fires on local inhabitants is unclear. In this study, PM2.5-associated excess mortality in Equatorial Asia over the past 30 years (1990-2019) was estimated and then the health effect of biomass burning was identified. The PM2.5-related death in Equatorial Asia almost tripled from 113 (95% confidence interval, 100-125) thousand in 1990 to 337 (300-373) thousand in 2019, with a rate of increase of 6.4 (6.2-6.9) thousand/yr. The intense biomass burning between 1990 and 2019 was estimated to have induced 317 (282-348) thousand excess deaths in the study regions, with excess deaths mainly occurring in the El Niño years, such as in 1997, 2006, 2015 and 2019. Although the remote sensing data and emission inventories both reveal that the effective control measures have reduced biomass burning intensity in Equatorial Asia (especially in Sumatra and Borneo), the corresponding health benefit has been offset by variations in demographic factors, i.e., population and age structure. Over the same period, fossil fuel emissions continued to increase rapidly. Thus, more stringent and ambitious policies are required to reduce the health burden from biomass burning and anthropogenic emissions simultaneously to maximize the health benefits from government measures and policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Yin
- Earth System Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, 3058506, Japan.
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13
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Higuera PE, Cook MC, Balch JK, Stavros EN, Mahood AL, St. Denis LA. Shifting social-ecological fire regimes explain increasing structure loss from Western wildfires. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad005. [PMID: 36938500 PMCID: PMC10019760 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Structure loss is an acute, costly impact of the wildfire crisis in the western conterminous United States ("West"), motivating the need to understand recent trends and causes. We document a 246% rise in West-wide structure loss from wildfires between 1999-2009 and 2010-2020, driven strongly by events in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Increased structure loss was not due to increased area burned alone. Wildfires became significantly more destructive, with a 160% higher structure-loss rate (loss/kha burned) over the past decade. Structure loss was driven primarily by wildfires from unplanned human-related ignitions (e.g. backyard burning, power lines, etc.), which accounted for 76% of all structure loss and resulted in 10 times more structures destroyed per unit area burned compared with lightning-ignited fires. Annual structure loss was well explained by area burned from human-related ignitions, while decadal structure loss was explained by state-level structure abundance in flammable vegetation. Both predictors increased over recent decades and likely interacted with increased fuel aridity to drive structure-loss trends. While states are diverse in patterns and trends, nearly all experienced more burning from human-related ignitions and/or higher structure-loss rates, particularly California, Washington, and Oregon. Our findings highlight how fire regimes-characteristics of fire over space and time-are fundamentally social-ecological phenomena. By resolving the diversity of Western fire regimes, our work informs regionally appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies. With millions of structures with high fire risk, reducing human-related ignitions and rethinking how we build are critical for preventing future wildfire disasters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maxwell C Cook
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348, 611 UCB, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder, Guggenheim 110, 260 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Jennifer K Balch
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348, 611 UCB, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder, Guggenheim 110, 260 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - E Natasha Stavros
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348, 611 UCB, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Adam L Mahood
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348, 611 UCB, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
- Water Resources, Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building D, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
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Haase E. Using Case-Based Teaching of Climate Change to Broaden Appreciation of Socio-Environmental Determinants of Mental Health. ACADEMIC PSYCHIATRY : THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENCY TRAINING AND THE ASSOCIATION FOR ACADEMIC PSYCHIATRY 2022; 46:574-578. [PMID: 36109425 DOI: 10.1007/s40596-022-01697-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Haase
- Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, Carson City, NV, USA.
- University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA.
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15
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Ren L, Yang Y, Wang H, Wang P, Yue X, Liao H. Widespread Wildfires Over the Western United States in 2020 Linked to Emissions Reductions During COVID-19. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2022; 49:e2022GL099308. [PMID: 35941985 PMCID: PMC9349500 DOI: 10.1029/2022gl099308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Widespread wildfires struck the western United States in 2020, damaging properties and threating human lives. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, which disrupted human activities. Here, we investigate the effects of the emissions reductions during the pandemic on fire weather in 2020 over the western United States by using an earth system model together with observations. We show that reductions in aerosols dominate the increases in wildfire risks, whereas greenhouse gas decrease counteracts this influence. The aerosol emissions reductions increased surface air temperature and decreased precipitation and relative humidity due to a weakened moisture transport, which explains one-third of the observed increase in wildfire risks during August-November over the western United States in 2020. This study suggests that COVID-19-related emissions reductions have an unexpected influence on wildfires, highlighting a different but important role of human activities in affecting wildfire risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution ControlJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and EngineeringNanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Yang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution ControlJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and EngineeringNanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Hailong Wang
- Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change DivisionPacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWAUSA
| | - Pinya Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution ControlJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and EngineeringNanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Xu Yue
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution ControlJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and EngineeringNanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyNanjingChina
| | - Hong Liao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution ControlJiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and EngineeringNanjing University of Information Science and TechnologyNanjingChina
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16
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Evaluating Effects of Post-Fire Climate and Burn Severity on the Early-Term Regeneration of Forest and Shrub Communities in the San Gabriel Mountains of California from Sentinel-2(MSI) Images. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13071060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Studying the early changes in post-fire vegetation communities may improve the overall resilience of forests. The necessity for doing so was demonstrated by the Bobcat Fire, which seriously threatened the central San Gabriel Mountains and the Angeles National Forest in California. This study aimed to monitor and quantify the effects of climatological and topographic conditions along with burn severity on early (within 1 year) post-fire forests and shrubs community regeneration. In this study, we used Sentinel-2(MSI) intensive time-series imagery (July 2020–October 2021) to make a confusion matrix combined with 389 vegetation sample points on Google Earth Pro. The overall accuracy (OA) and the Kappa coefficient, calculated from the confusion matrix, were used as evaluation parameters to validate the classification results. With multiple linear regression models and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) historical images, we analyzed the effects of climate and slope aspects on the regeneration of post-fire forest and shrub communities. We also quantitatively analyzed the regeneration rates based on five burn severity types. The results show that the normalized burning rate (NBR) was the most accurate vegetation classification indicator in this study (OA: 92.3–99.5%, Kappa: 0.88–0.98). The vegetation classification accuracy based on SVM is about 6.6% higher than K-Means. The overall accuracy of the burn area is 94.87%. Post-fire climate factors had a significant impact on the regeneration of the two vegetation communities (R2: 0.42–0.88); the optimal regeneration slope was 15–35°; and the fire severity changed the original competition relationship and regeneration rate. The results provide four main insights into the regeneration of post-fire vegetation communities: (1) climate factors in the first regenerating season have important impacts on the regeneration of forest and shrub communities; (2) daytime duration and rainfall are the most significant factors for forests and shrubs regeneration; (3) tolerable low burn severity promotes forests regeneration; and (4) forests have a certain ability to resist fires, while shrubs can better tolerate high-intensity fire ecology. This study could support the implementation of strategies for regionalized forest management and the targeted enhancement of post-fire vegetation community resilience.
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17
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Shuman JK, Balch JK, Barnes RT, Higuera PE, Roos CI, Schwilk DW, Stavros EN, Banerjee T, Bela MM, Bendix J, Bertolino S, Bililign S, Bladon KD, Brando P, Breidenthal RE, Buma B, Calhoun D, Carvalho LMV, Cattau ME, Cawley KM, Chandra S, Chipman ML, Cobian-Iñiguez J, Conlisk E, Coop JD, Cullen A, Davis KT, Dayalu A, De Sales F, Dolman M, Ellsworth LM, Franklin S, Guiterman CH, Hamilton M, Hanan EJ, Hansen WD, Hantson S, Harvey BJ, Holz A, Huang T, Hurteau MD, Ilangakoon NT, Jennings M, Jones C, Klimaszewski-Patterson A, Kobziar LN, Kominoski J, Kosovic B, Krawchuk MA, Laris P, Leonard J, Loria-Salazar SM, Lucash M, Mahmoud H, Margolis E, Maxwell T, McCarty JL, McWethy DB, Meyer RS, Miesel JR, Moser WK, Nagy RC, Niyogi D, Palmer HM, Pellegrini A, Poulter B, Robertson K, Rocha AV, Sadegh M, Santos F, Scordo F, Sexton JO, Sharma AS, Smith AMS, Soja AJ, Still C, Swetnam T, Syphard AD, Tingley MW, Tohidi A, Trugman AT, Turetsky M, Varner JM, Wang Y, Whitman T, Yelenik S, Zhang X. Reimagine fire science for the anthropocene. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac115. [PMID: 36741468 PMCID: PMC9896919 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Fire is an integral component of ecosystems globally and a tool that humans have harnessed for millennia. Altered fire regimes are a fundamental cause and consequence of global change, impacting people and the biophysical systems on which they depend. As part of the newly emerging Anthropocene, marked by human-caused climate change and radical changes to ecosystems, fire danger is increasing, and fires are having increasingly devastating impacts on human health, infrastructure, and ecosystem services. Increasing fire danger is a vexing problem that requires deep transdisciplinary, trans-sector, and inclusive partnerships to address. Here, we outline barriers and opportunities in the next generation of fire science and provide guidance for investment in future research. We synthesize insights needed to better address the long-standing challenges of innovation across disciplines to (i) promote coordinated research efforts; (ii) embrace different ways of knowing and knowledge generation; (iii) promote exploration of fundamental science; (iv) capitalize on the "firehose" of data for societal benefit; and (v) integrate human and natural systems into models across multiple scales. Fire science is thus at a critical transitional moment. We need to shift from observation and modeled representations of varying components of climate, people, vegetation, and fire to more integrative and predictive approaches that support pathways toward mitigating and adapting to our increasingly flammable world, including the utilization of fire for human safety and benefit. Only through overcoming institutional silos and accessing knowledge across diverse communities can we effectively undertake research that improves outcomes in our more fiery future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacquelyn K Shuman
- Terrestrial Sciences Section, Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA
| | - Jennifer K Balch
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder,4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348 611 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Rebecca T Barnes
- Environmental Studies Program, Colorado College, 14 East Cache la Poudre, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, USA
| | - Philip E Higuera
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750336, Dallas, TX, 75275-0336, USA
| | - Dylan W Schwilk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St. Lubbock, TX, 79409-43131, USA
| | - E Natasha Stavros
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder,4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348 611 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Tirtha Banerjee
- Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, 3084 Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, UC Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Megan M Bela
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado at Boulder, 216 UCB, Boulder CO, 80309, USA
- NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jacob Bendix
- Department of Geography and the Environment, Syracuse University, 144 Eggers Hall, Syracuse NY 13244, USA
| | - Sandro Bertolino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123 Torino, Italy
| | - Solomon Bililign
- Department of Physics, North Carolina A&T State University, 1601 E Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
| | - Kevin D Bladon
- Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, 244 Peavy Forest Science Center; Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Paulo Brando
- Earth System Science, University of California Irvine, 3215 Croul Hall Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Robert E Breidenthal
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Washington, Box 352400, Seattle, WA 98195-2400, USA
| | - Brian Buma
- Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 171, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, USA
| | - Donna Calhoun
- Department of Mathematics, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725-1135, USA
| | - Leila M V Carvalho
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Megan E Cattau
- Human-Environment Systems, Boise State University, Boise State Environmental Research Building, 1295 W University Dr, Boise, ID 83706, USA
| | - Kaelin M Cawley
- National Ecological Observatory Network, Battelle, 1685 38th St., Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
| | - Sudeep Chandra
- Global Water Center, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia, Reno, NV, 89509, USA
| | - Melissa L Chipman
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Syracuse University, 317 Heroy Geology Building, 141 Crouse Dr, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Jeanette Cobian-Iñiguez
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Merced, Sustainability Research and Engineering, SRE 366, 5200 Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Erin Conlisk
- Point Blue Conservation Science, 3820 Cypress Dr, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
| | - Jonathan D Coop
- Clark School of Environment and Sustainability, Western Colorado University, 1 Western Way, Gunnison CO 81231, USA
| | - Alison Cullen
- Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington, Parrington Hall, Mailbox 353055, Seattle, WA 98195-3055, USA
| | - Kimberley T Davis
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Archana Dayalu
- Atmospheric and Environmental Research, 131 Hartwell Ave, Lexington MA 02421, USA
| | - Fernando De Sales
- Department of Geography, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-4493, USA
| | - Megan Dolman
- Human-Environment Systems, Boise State University, Boise State Environmental Research Building, 1295 W University Dr, Boise, ID 83706, USA
| | - Lisa M Ellsworth
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA
| | - Scott Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639, USA
| | - Christopher H Guiterman
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado at Boulder, 216 UCB, Boulder CO, 80309, USA
- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 325 Broadway, NOAA E/GC3, Boulder, Colorado 80305-3337, USA
| | - Matthew Hamilton
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Erin J Hanan
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia St. Mail Stop 0186. Reno, NV 89509, USA
| | - Winslow D Hansen
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, PO Box AB, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA
| | - Stijn Hantson
- Earth System Science Program, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Max Planck Tandem Group in Earth System Science, Universidad del Rosario, Carrera 26 # 63b-48, Bogota, DC 111221, Colombia
| | - Brian J Harvey
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, UW-SEFS, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Andrés Holz
- Department of Geography, Portland State University, 1721 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201, USA
| | - Tao Huang
- Human-Environment Systems, Boise State University, Boise State Environmental Research Building, 1295 W University Dr, Boise, ID 83706, USA
| | - Matthew D Hurteau
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, MSC03 2020, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Nayani T Ilangakoon
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder,4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348 611 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Megan Jennings
- Institute for Ecological Monitoring and Management, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182-4614, USA
| | - Charles Jones
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | | | - Leda N Kobziar
- College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, 1031 N. Academic Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83844, USA
| | - John Kominoski
- Institute of Environment and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
| | - Branko Kosovic
- Weather Systems and Assessment Program, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA
| | - Meg A Krawchuk
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Paul Laris
- Department of Geography, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Jackson Leonard
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, 2500 S. Pine Knoll Dr. Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
| | | | - Melissa Lucash
- Department of Geography, University of Oregon, 1251 University of Oregon, Eugene OR 97403-1251, USA
| | - Hussam Mahmoud
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, 1372 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Ellis Margolis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, 15 Entrance Rd., Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - Toby Maxwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr. Boise ID 83725, USA
| | - Jessica L McCarty
- Department of Geography and Geospatial Analysis Center, Miami University, 217 Shideler Hall, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - David B McWethy
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, 226 Traphagen Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Rachel S Meyer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Jessica R Miesel
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, 1066 Bogue Street Rm A286, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
| | - W Keith Moser
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, 2500 S. Pine Knoll Dr. Flagstaff, Arizona 86001, USA
| | - R Chelsea Nagy
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder,4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S348 611 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA
| | - Dev Niyogi
- Jackson School of Geosciences, and Cockrell School of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2305 Speedway Stop C1160, Austin, TX 78712-1692, USA
| | - Hannah M Palmer
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, 5200 Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Adam Pellegrini
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Benjamin Poulter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - Kevin Robertson
- Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USA
| | - Adrian V Rocha
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Campus Dr., Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Mojtaba Sadegh
- Department of Civil Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
| | - Fernanda Santos
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, P.O. Box 2008, MS-6038, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, USA
| | - Facundo Scordo
- Global Water Center and the Department of Biology, University of Nevada, 1664 N. Virginia, Reno, NV, 89509, USA
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO-CONICET-UNS), Florida 8000, Bahía Blanca, B8000BFW Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Joseph O Sexton
- terraPulse, Inc., 13201 Squires Ct., North Potomac, MD 20878, USA
| | - A Surjalal Sharma
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, 4296 Stadium Dr., Astronomy Dept Room 1113, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Alistair M S Smith
- Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences, College of Science, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 3021, Moscow ID, 83843-3021, USA
- Department of Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Science, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1133, Moscow, ID 83844-1133, USA
| | - Amber J Soja
- NASA Langley Research Center, NASA, 2 Langley Blvd, Hampton, VA 23681, USA
- National Institute of Aerospace, NASA, 100 Exploration Way, Hampton, VA 23666, USA
| | - Christopher Still
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Tyson Swetnam
- Data Science Institute, University of Arizona, 1657 E Helen St, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Alexandra D Syphard
- Conservation Biology Institute, 10423 Sierra Vista Ave., La Mesa, CA, 91941, USA
| | - Morgan W Tingley
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E Young Dr S #951606, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ali Tohidi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Jose State University, Room 310-K, ENG Building, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95112, USA
| | - Anna T Trugman
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, 1832 Ellison Hall, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Merritt Turetsky
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, Campus Box 450, Boulder, CO 80309-0450, USA
| | - J Morgan Varner
- Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, 13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USA
| | - Yuhang Wang
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Thea Whitman
- Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1525 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Stephanie Yelenik
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, 920 Valley Road, Reno NV, 89512, USA
| | - Xuan Zhang
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, 5200 Lake Rd, Merced, CA 95343, USA
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18
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Hoylman ZH, Bocinsky RK, Jencso KG. Drought assessment has been outpaced by climate change: empirical arguments for a paradigm shift. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2715. [PMID: 35581261 PMCID: PMC9114319 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the acceleration of climate change, erroneous assumptions of climate stationarity are still inculcated in the management of water resources in the United States (US). The US system for drought detection, which triggers billions of dollars in emergency resources, adheres to this assumption with preference towards 60-year (or longer) record lengths for drought characterization. Using observed data from 1,934 Global Historical Climate Network (GHCN) sites across the US, we show that conclusions based on long climate records can substantially bias assessment of drought severity. Bias emerges by assuming that conditions from the early and mid 20th century are as likely to occur in today’s climate. Numerical simulations reveal that drought assessment error is relatively low with limited climatology lengths (~30 year) and that error increases with longer record lengths where climate is changing rapidly. We assert that non-stationarity in climate must be accounted for in contemporary assessments to more accurately portray present drought risk. Climate has changed over the last century, yet this change is seldom accounted for in drought assessment. This study quantifies drought bias due to climate change and suggests adjustment to align monitoring with contemporary risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary H Hoylman
- Montana Climate Office, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA. .,Department of Forest Management, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.
| | - R Kyle Bocinsky
- Montana Climate Office, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.,Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, Cortez, CO, 81321, USA
| | - Kelsey G Jencso
- Montana Climate Office, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA.,Department of Forest Management, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
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Touma D, Stevenson S, Swain DL, Singh D, Kalashnikov DA, Huang X. Climate change increases risk of extreme rainfall following wildfire in the western United States. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm0320. [PMID: 35363525 PMCID: PMC10938567 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm0320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Post-wildfire extreme rainfall events can have destructive impacts in the western United States. Using two climate model large ensembles, we assess the future risk of extreme fire weather events being followed by extreme rainfall in this region. By mid-21st century, in a high warming scenario (RCP8.5), we report large increases in the number of extreme fire weather events followed within 1 year by at least one extreme rainfall event. By 2100, the frequency of these compound events increases by 100% in California and 700% in the Pacific Northwest in the Community Earth System Model v1 Large Ensemble. We further project that more than 90% of extreme fire weather events in California, Colorado, and the Pacific Northwest will be followed by at least three spatially colocated extreme rainfall events within five years. Our results point to a future with substantially increased post-fire hydrologic risks across much of the western United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Touma
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Climate and Global Dynamics Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Samantha Stevenson
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniel L. Swain
- Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Capacity Center for Climate and Weather Extremes, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
- The Nature Conservancy of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Deepti Singh
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA
| | | | - Xingying Huang
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Climate and Global Dynamics Lab, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
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Iglesias V, Balch JK, Travis WR. U.S. fires became larger, more frequent, and more widespread in the 2000s. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabc0020. [PMID: 35294238 PMCID: PMC8926334 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Recent fires have fueled concerns that regional and global warming trends are leading to more extreme burning. We found compelling evidence that average fire events in regions of the United States are up to four times the size, triple the frequency, and more widespread in the 2000s than in the previous two decades. Moreover, the most extreme fires are also larger, more common, and more likely to co-occur with other extreme fires. This documented shift in burning patterns across most of the country aligns with the palpable change in fire dynamics noted by the media, public, and fire-fighting officials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Iglesias
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Jennifer K. Balch
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - William R. Travis
- Earth Lab, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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Juang CS, Williams AP, Abatzoglou JT, Balch JK, Hurteau MD, Moritz MA. Rapid Growth of Large Forest Fires Drives the Exponential Response of Annual Forest-Fire Area to Aridity in the Western United States. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2022; 49:e2021GL097131. [PMID: 35866067 PMCID: PMC9286820 DOI: 10.1029/2021gl097131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Annual forest area burned (AFAB) in the western United States (US) has increased as a positive exponential function of rising aridity in recent decades. This non-linear response has important implications for AFAB in a changing climate, yet the cause of the exponential AFAB-aridity relationship has not been given rigorous attention. We investigated the exponential AFAB-aridity relationship in western US forests using a new 1984-2019 database of fire events and 2001-2020 satellite-based records of daily fire growth. While forest-fire frequency and duration grow linearly with aridity, the exponential AFAB-aridity relationship results from the exponential growth rates of individual fires. Larger fires generally have more potential for growth due to more extensive firelines. Thus, forces that promote fire growth, such as aridification, have more potent effects on larger fires. As aridity increases linearly, the potential for growth of large fires accelerates, leading to exponential increases in AFAB.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. S. Juang
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia UniversityPalisadesNYUSA
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesColumbia UniversityNew YorkNYUSA
| | - A. P. Williams
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia UniversityPalisadesNYUSA
- Department of GeographyUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - J. T. Abatzoglou
- Management of Complex Systems DepartmentUniversity of California, MercedMercedCAUSA
| | - J. K. Balch
- Earth LabCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental ScienceUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderCOUSA
- Department of GeographyUniversity of Colorado BoulderBoulderCOUSA
| | - M. D. Hurteau
- Biology DepartmentUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNMUSA
| | - M. A. Moritz
- Cooperative Extension Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources & Bren School of Environmental Science & ManagementUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCAUSA
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22
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Atmospheric variability contributes to increasing wildfire weather but not as much as global warming. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2117876118. [PMID: 34764227 PMCID: PMC8609541 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117876118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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