CO₂ worsens wildfires by helping plants grow, model experiments show
By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a UC Riverside study.
By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a UC Riverside study.
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2024
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Arctic and boreal latitudes are warming faster than any other region on Earth. In three new studies, Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine report how the ecosystems in these regions are changing.
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2024
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Wildfires present complex socio-economic and ecological challenges, as they devastate vegetation, endanger communities, and cause extensive environmental, wildlife, and human health impacts. These consequences include severe ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 21, 2024
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Researchers using a novel method of measuring long-term wildfire smoke exposure have found that Indigenous communities in California are exposed to disproportionate amounts of dangerous particulate matter—sometimes far ...
Environment
Feb 29, 2024
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Human-driven climate change has helped transform many forests into kindling: A 2016 study found that greenhouse-aided warming and drought had more than doubled the area of fire-susceptible forest in the western U.S. since ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 24, 2024
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Across the American West, managers of fire-prone landscapes are increasingly using a practice that seems counterintuitive: setting small fires to prevent larger, more destructive ones. Commonly called "prescribed burns," ...
Environment
Jan 17, 2024
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Africa is on fire. It has been for thousands of years. The continent contains more than 50% of the total area on Earth that is burning, on average, and there is no sign of it stopping; indeed, the migrating, hemisphere-hopping ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 3, 2024
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After the last embers of a campfire dim, the musky smell of smoke remains. Whiffs of that distinct smokey smell may serve as a pleasant reminder of the evening prior, but in the wake of a wildfire, that smell comes with ongoing ...
Environment
Jan 2, 2024
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In a new analysis of data spanning more than three decades in the eastern United States, a team of scientists found a concerning trend—an increasing number of wildfires across a large swath of America.
Earth Sciences
Dec 18, 2023
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Wildfires can transform a benign metal in soils and plants into toxic particles that easily become airborne, according to a new study from Stanford University.
Earth Sciences
Dec 12, 2023
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