Articles tagged with Wildfires
A new study reveals gaps in wildfire smoke education among people living with COPD. Researchers found that many individuals rely on smartphone apps and online information for air quality updates, but lack knowledge on mitigation strategies and real-time guidance from healthcare teams.
Researchers found that forest fires now burn ten times more acreage annually than in 1985, with severe fires causing widespread tree death. The study attributed the changes to an increasingly warm and arid environment, as well as high fuel density in forests.
A study found wide variation in contamination by lead and arsenic in soil and ash from California homes burned by the Eaton and Palisades wildfires. Cleanup efforts reduced concentrations of these contaminants, but the study highlights a need for technical review and more effective cleanup methods.
A Stanford-led study suggests that burning 500,000 acres of California conifer forests each year with prescribed fire could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by roughly 10% over a decade. The risk of very severe fires immediately drops 92% in areas burned in low-severity fires, with risks remaining lower for up to a decade and e...
Researchers from Virginia Tech found that airborne particles have an outer alkaline shell, contradicting the traditional view of uniform droplets. This discovery has significant implications for understanding air quality and climate change.
Researchers find that climate change is weakening the ability of snow cover over burn scars to offset forest fire carbon emissions. Historically, this natural process helped cool the climate after northern wildfires.
Global wildfire activity in 2025 resulted in destructive and deadly fire events, with 335 million hectares burned globally - 16% below the long-term average. The fires accounted for 38% of all insured natural hazard losses, with Canada experiencing its third consecutive year of extreme fire activity.
A new study reveals that dark brown carbon from wildfires has a powerful warming effect on the global climate, potentially exceeding that of black carbon. The research found that this 'dark brown carbon' absorbs light well into the visible spectrum, amplifying regional and global warming.
Researchers at OSU found that taller buildings and those with flammable exterior materials produce more embers, which can cause 90% of structure losses. The study aimed to predict how fires will spread and design resilient buildings against wildfires.
Research reveals US forests face significant risk of carbon loss due to wildfires, droughts, and insects. Current carbon-credit systems fail to account for these risks, but the study provides a solution by proposing larger buffer pools to mitigate losses.
A study finds that US forests are at risk of releasing stored carbon due to droughts, pests, and fires exacerbated by climate change. The researchers recommend increasing buffer pools in carbon-credit systems to account for these risks.
A study found that megafires force prairie grouse into sub-optimal habitats, including smaller patches near cropland. This can lead to reduced persistence and habitat quality for the species.
Researchers developed a new method to predict debris flows in post-fire landscapes, incorporating vegetation recovery, which reduces unnecessary warnings and improves accuracy. The updated method reflects changes in soil absorption and plant water uptake after wildfires, providing more accurate hazard maps and rainfall threshold guidance.
A new study reveals that wildfires in the Western US have decreased by 28% over the past three decades, with fires starting from natural causes declining more than those caused by humans. The findings suggest that higher population densities lead to fewer fires, while adding people to less populated areas makes blazes more common.
New research from the University of Waterloo shows that social media posts can speed up wildfire response but also trigger costly over-reaction. The study analyzed Twitter data on California wildfires and found that while emotional posts can amplify urgency, they also distort resource allocation.
A study found that long-term exposure to wildfire smoke was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing lung, colorectal, breast, bladder, and blood cancer. The risk increased with every additional microgram per cubic meter of fine particulate matter in the air.
A new study reveals that natural disasters lead to a 69% spike in public protests across Latin America. Smaller communities tend to face the longest economic recoveries, with damage persisting for up to four months.
A new study by PSU researchers found that wildfires can intensify midwinter rain-on-snow events, leading to rapid snowmelt and increased flood risk. This threatens the region's critical seasonal water storage, refilling reservoirs and producing hydroelectric power.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin developed an electronic tattoo to track moisture levels in plant leaves with greater accuracy. The technology uses graphene and can measure hydration levels directly from live leaves, providing more information on plant ecosystem health.
A UBC study finds invasive grasses are a sleeper threat on B.C.'s post-fire landscape, with the window to stop them narrow. The research highlights three actions to reduce risk: vehicle and boot washing stations, targeted seeding, and early herbicide treatment.
Researchers investigated the Mississippi River's hydrological trends, ocean carbon storage, and gender dynamics in flood mortality. A study found that precipitation increases, but soil moisture decreases, while high-resolution models reveal stronger Southern Ocean carbon absorption. Additionally, data showed men are overrepresented in ...
The study found that wildfire exposure and its socioeconomic consequences were associated with increased psychological distress beyond the burn zone. Integrating mental health care, housing stability, and economic recovery are crucial for disaster response and climate resilience strategies.
A study by UC San Diego finds that California wildfire smoke events are becoming more frequent, with communities in Southern and Central California experiencing shorter recovery times between smoke events. These communities are also disproportionately vulnerable, with higher proportions of racial and socioeconomic minority residents.
A UBC-led global review found water-quality impacts from wildfires often emerge months or years later, with contamination intensifying over time. The study highlights the need for long-term fire retardants and preparedness planning to protect drinking water sources in fire-prone provinces.
A recent study found that selective forest thinning in the eastern Cascades increased snowpack by 30% on north-facing slopes and 16% on south-facing slopes. Thinning created gaps of 4-16 meters in diameter, which aided snowpack the most, highlighting a potential strategy for optimizing forest management.
A recent study co-authored by NAU researchers found that fires in northern Canada have a net cooling effect when coupled with snowpack, but this is outweighed by the warming effects of permafrost carbon released from fires in Alaska. This highlights the need for land and fire managers to reconsider how wildland fires are managed.
A new study by Lund University reveals that large forest fire emissions occur below the ground surface, in peat and organic soils, rather than above-ground. This affects climate impact assessments, as traditional methods risk missing significant carbon releases.
A UC Berkeley-led study reconstructed emissions from Swedish wildfires and found that current climate estimates are failing to fully account for carbon released from smoldering organic soils. This highlights the need for improved climate models to better understand the impact of northern wildfires on the environment.
Scientists warn that synchronised extreme fire weather, characterized by warm and dry conditions, has increased worldwide since 1979, straining international firefighting cooperation. The number of high-risk days with simultaneous fires is more than doubling, making wildfires harder to tackle and increasing air quality issues.
The University of Washington's STRIVE team will examine the atmosphere where weather forms, while the EDGE team will study the three-dimensional structure of the Earth's surface. These satellite missions aim to provide new insights into temperature, trace gases, and air pollution.
Researchers found strongest associations on very smoky days and in areas with cleaner air overall. The study of over 8.6 million births in California suggests that intense wildfire smoke exposure may increase the likelihood of autism in children.
A recent study by PLOS reveals that large increases in PM2.5 exposure from wildfires have overshadowed gains made in reducing air pollution disparities in traditional sources, particularly among California's racial groups.
Fungi have evolved unique strategies to digest charcoal and other pollutants, including gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer. These discoveries could lead to new methods for cleaning up contaminated environments.
A new study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that exposure to wildfire smoke during the third trimester may raise the risk of autism diagnoses in children. Mothers who were exposed to more than 10 days of wildfire smoke had a 23% higher risk of their child being diagnosed with autism by age 5.
Research found that deciduous tree dominance reduces wildfire carbon losses in boreal forests, storing more carbon above ground and releasing less in deep organic soils. This shift could help slow climate warming by reducing carbon emissions per unit area burned.
A study estimates that wildland fires release an average of 143 million tons of airborne organic compounds annually, 21% higher than earlier estimates. This increase poses complex air-quality challenges, particularly in regions such as Equatorial Asia and Northern Hemisphere Africa.
Global climate change intensifies extreme weather events like heatwaves and droughts, altering wildfire patterns worldwide. The study quantifies the impact of 'hot drought' on 2025 LA wildfires, showing an increased risk by up to 210%. Additionally, strong Santa Ana winds played a significant role in fire spread.
Western US faces a 'fire deficit' with 74% of areas behind on annual burns, requiring 3.8 million hectares of forest to burn each year over decade. Strategies like prescribed burns and managed wildfire use can help address the issue.
A new study from Cedars-Sinai found a 118% increase in visits for general illness and significant spikes in heart attack and lung complication cases following the January 2025 LA fires. Fine particles released by wildfires can cause injury, particularly to the heart and lungs.
Wildfires on Alaska's North Slope have reached unprecedented levels in recent centuries, driven by drying soils and expanding woody shrubs. The study's findings suggest a rapid transformation of the tundra ecosystem, with modern-day fires burning hotter and consuming more fuel.
Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences quantify the role of climate change in wildfires and air quality, finding that 60-82% of total burned area in western US forests is directly attributable to warming temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change.
A study published in Science Advances found that unusually large particles of wildfire smoke had a significant cooling effect on the region they were observed in, increasing outgoing radiation by 30-36% compared to smaller smoke particles. This effect has not been included in current climate models.
A new computer model, GeoFlame VISION, uses AI and satellite imagery to produce a dynamic wildfire risk map for the entire US. The model shows that California's eastern, southwestern, and northwestern parts are at high risk due to Santa Ana winds.
A UBC Okanagan team harnesses computer modeling to study wildfire movement, finding that fires often behave randomly due to factors like fuel type, wind, and terrain. This randomness can lead to significant variations in fire spread, highlighting the need for more probabilistic models.
The 106th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society will focus on the intersection of technology and human decision-making in weather, water, and climate sciences. The meeting will feature keynote presentations, Presidential Sessions, and named symposia highlighting key Earth science topics.
Research found a 42% increase in respiratory virtual visits among those living near burn zones, while cardiovascular virtual visits rose by 44%. In-person outpatient visits also increased substantially.
The 2025 Los Angeles wildfires led to substantial increases in acute health care utilization, particularly through virtual care-seeking. This study emphasizes the importance of monitoring healthcare preparedness and response in the face of rising climate-related disruptions.
Researchers investigate how adjacent cities exacerbate each other's heat island effects. A study also highlights the need for improved hindcasting infrastructure in climate science. Additionally, a campaign monitors pinned clouds over industrial sources of heat and finds that trees are more reliable against heat stress than buildings.
A long-term study found that prescribed burning significantly enhances the net productivity of plots with three treatments, increasing carbon sequestration capacity while maintaining large fire-resistant trees. This approach can help reduce wildfire hazard and support California's goal of net zero carbon by 2045.
A team of scientists has uncovered evidence of ancient wildfires during the Early Triassic epoch, about 250 million years ago. The findings suggest that wildfires played a significant role in shaping ecosystems during this time period, contrary to previous assumptions based on a lack of charcoal in the geologic record.
Research explores connections between Arctic land and sea, revealing how polar bears' health impacts Arctic fox populations and tundra prey. A study also finds that beaver restoration could boost fire and water resilience in California's Sierra Nevada by storing up to 120 million cubic meters of surface water.
The Lancet Countdown report links climate change to violence and community health, emphasizing the need for social and economic changes to prevent conflict. Strengthening food systems and ensuring emergency responses can reduce grievances and protect healthcare workers.
A new report published in BioScience reveals Earth's climate crisis is accelerating at an alarming rate, with 22 of 34 planetary vital signs now at record levels. The study emphasizes that climate change mitigation strategies are available and urgently needed to limit warming.
The Lancet Countdown report reveals that the world is facing unprecedented levels of health threats due to climate change, with millions of lives lost unnecessarily. The report calls for urgent action to limit future harm by prioritizing human health in policy decisions.
A new survey conducted by UC Berkeley researchers found that approximately 75% of agricultural workers in Sonoma County have worked during wildfires since 2017. The study also found that half of the farmworkers reported having ailments like headaches or sore throats after working during a wildfire.
Research shows strong Midwest summer storms can puncture the stratosphere, bringing aerosols and burning biomass from western wildfires. This could affect the ozone layer's stability and warm the stratosphere.