Fire and Climate Change

From the AGU fall meeting, 2012

Land area burned by fires has increased in the United States over the past 25 years, consistent
with a trend toward climate conditions more conducive to fire. In contrast, fires for agricultural
and forest management show declining trends in the western U.S. despite overall increases in
wildfire activity and associated carbon emissions. Looking ahead, new IPCC climate projections
offer insight into potential changes to U.S. fire activity over the next 30-50 years based on the
climate sensitivity of fires in recent decades. Scientists will present new data on which regions of
the U.S. might see fire seasons become longer and more intense.

Participants:
Louis Giglio, Research Associate Professor, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland,
and Physical Scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA;
Christopher Williams, Assistant Professor of Geography, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of
Biology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA;
Doug Morton, Physical Scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland,
and Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park, USA;
Hsiao-Wen Lin, Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Earth System Science, University
of California, Irvine, USA.
Sessions: NH52A, B22B, B41B, B23F

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Photo Credit: Kirmmie via Compfight cc