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Hong X, Liu C, Zhang C, Tian Y, Wu H, Yin H, Zhu Y, Cheng Y. Vast ecosystem disturbance in a warming climate may jeopardize our climate goal of reducing CO 2: a case study for megafires in the Australian 'black summer'. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 866:161387. [PMID: 36621492 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A warming climate is one of the most important driving forces of intensified wildfires globally. The unprecedented wildfires broke out in the Australian 'Black Summer' (November 2019-February 2020), which released massive heat, gases, and particles into the atmosphere. The total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from wildfires were estimated at ∼963 million tons by using a top-down approach based on direct satellite measurements of CO2 and fire radiative power. The fire emissions have led to an approximately 50-80 folds increase in total CO2 emission in Australia compared with the similar seasons of 2014-2019. The excess CO2 from wildfires has offset almost half of the global anthropogenic CO2 emission reductions due to the Corona Virus Disease 2019 in 2020. When the wildfires were intense in December 2019, they caused a 1.48 watts per square meter additional positive radiative forcing above the monthly average in Australia and the vicinity. Our findings demonstrate that vast ecosystem disturbance in a warming climate can strongly influence the global carbon cycle and hamper our climate goal of reducing CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhua Hong
- School of Environmental Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Center for Excellence in Regional Atmospheric Environment, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China.
| | - Chengxin Zhang
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yuan Tian
- Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Hongyu Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Optoelectronic Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hao Yin
- Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Yizhi Zhu
- Key Lab of Environmental Optics & Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Yafang Cheng
- Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Minerva Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany.
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Managing Wildfire Risk in Mosaic Landscapes: A Case Study of the Upper Gata River Catchment in Sierra de Gata, Spain. LAND 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/land11040465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Fire prevention and suppression approaches that exclusively rely on silvicultural measures and containment infrastructure have become increasingly ineffective in stopping the spread of wildfires. As agroforestry landscape mosaics consisting of a mix of different land cover and use types are considered less prone to fire than forests, approaches that support the involvement of rural people in agriculture and forestry activities have been proposed. However, it is unknown whether, in the current socio-economic context, these land-use interventions will nudge fire-prone landscapes towards more fire-resistant ones. We report on a case study of the Gata river catchment in Sierra de Gata, Spain, which is a fire-prone area that has been a pilot site for Mosaico-Extremadura, an innovative participatory fire-risk-mitigation strategy. Our purpose is to assess the efficacy of project interventions as “productive fuel breaks” and their potential for protecting high-risk areas. Interventions were effective in reducing the flame length and the rate of spread, and almost 40% of the intervention area was in sub-catchments with high risk. Therefore, they can function as productive fuel breaks and, if located strategically, contribute to mitigating wildfire risk. For these reasons, and in view of other economic and social benefits, collaborative approaches for land management are highly recommended.
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An Assessment of Forest Fires and CO2 Gross Primary Production from 1991 to 2019 in Mação (Portugal). SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13115816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Forest-fire rates have increased in Southern European landscapes. These fires damage forest ecosystems and alter their development. During the last few decades, an increase in fast-growing and highly fuel-bearing plant species such as bush, Eucalyptus globulus Labill., and Pinus pinaster Ait. has been observable in the interior of Portugal. This study aims to verify this assumption by the quantification of the biomass carbon sink in the forests of the Mação municipality. Maps of fire severity and forest biomass evolution after a wildfire event were produced for the period of 1991 to 2019. To quantify carbon retention in this region, this evolution was correlated with gross primary production (GPP) on the basis of satellite imagery from Landsat 5, Landsat 8, and MODIS MYD17A2H. Results show that wildfires in Mação increased in area and severity with each passing decade due to the large accumulation of biomass promoted by the abandonment of rural areas. Before the large fires of 2003, 2017, and 2019, carbon rates reached a daily maximum of 5.4, 5.3, and 4.7 gC/m2/day, respectively, showing a trend of forest-biomass accumulation in the Mação municipality.
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Bakhtiari PH, Nikoo MR, Golkar F, Sadegh M, Al-Wardy M, Al-Rawas GA. Design of a high-coverage ground-based CO 2 monitoring layout using a novel information theory-based optimization model. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:150. [PMID: 33641085 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-08933-2] [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: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, monitoring of the carbon cycle has become a major concern accented by the severe impacts of global warming. Here, we develop an information theory-based optimization model using the NSGA-II algorithm that determines an optimum ground-based CO2 monitoring layout with the highest spatial coverage using a finite number of stations. The value of information (VOI) concept is used to assess the efficacy of the monitoring stations given their construction cost. In conjunction with VOI, the entropy theory-in terms of transinformation-is adopted to determine the redundant (overlapping) information rendered by the selected monitoring stations. The developed model is used to determine a ground-based CO2 monitoring layout for Iran, the eighth-ranked country emitting CO2 worldwide. An NSGA-II optimization model provides a tradeoff curve given the objectives of (1) minimizing the size of monitoring network; (2) maximizing VOI, i.e., spatial coverage; and (3) minimizing transinformation, i.e., overlapping information. Borda count method is then employed to select the most appropriate compromise monitoring layout from the Pareto-front solutions given regional priorities and concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Reza Nikoo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Foroogh Golkar
- Department of Water Engineering, College of Agriculture, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Center, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Sadegh
- Department of Civil Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, USA
| | - Malik Al-Wardy
- Department of Soils, Water, and Agricultural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ghazi Ali Al-Rawas
- Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
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Special Issue Atmospheric Composition and Cloud Cover Observations. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12010056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A Special Issue of Atmosphere, “Atmospheric Composition and Cloud Cover Observations”, is focused on presenting some of the latest results of observations of clouds and atmospheric composition, mainly by referring to new equipment or experimental set-ups [...]
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Feasibility of Using MODIS Products to Simulate Sun-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) in Boreal Forests. REMOTE SENSING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/rs12040680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a novel approach to gain information about plant activity from remote sensing observations. However, there are currently no continuous SIF data produced at high spatial resolutions. Many previous studies have discussed the relationship between SIF and gross primary production (GPP) and showed a significant correlation between them, but few researchers have focused on forests, which are one the most important terrestrial ecosystems. This study takes Greater Khingan Mountains, a typical boreal forest in China, as an example to explore the feasibility of using MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products and Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) SIF data to simulate continuous SIF at higher spatial resolutions. The results show that there is no significant correlation between SIF and MODIS GPP at a spatial resolution of 1 km; however, significant correlations between SIF and the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were found during growing seasons. Furthermore, the broadleaf forest has a higher SIF than coniferous forest because of the difference in leaf and canopy bio-chemical and structural characteristic. When using MODIS EVI to model SIF, linear regression models show average performance (R2 = 0.58, Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) = 0.14 from Julian day 145 to 257) at a 16-day time scale. However, when using MODIS EVI and temperature, multiple regressions perform better (R2 = 0.71, RMSE = 0.13 from Julian day 145 to 241). An important contribution of this paper is the analysis of the relationships between SIF and vegetation indices at different spatial resolutions and the finding that the relationships became closer with a decrease in spatial resolution. From this research, we conclude that the SIF of the boreal forest investigated can mainly be explained by EVI and air temperature.
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