Wildfire Activity in Siberia Has Doubled Driven by Climate Change and Feedback Loops
Wildfire activity in central Siberia has doubled over the past two decades, with vast areas of forest scorched and massive amounts of carbon released from rich soils and permafrost. While Arctic warming is known to exacerbate wildfires, the specific factors driving these events have been difficult to pinpoint, complicating future predictions.
New research by Huang et al. sheds light on the key mechanisms behind this surge in wildfire activity. The team found that the increase in Siberian fires is strongly linked to drought, drying soils, and decreased rainfall all symptoms of Arctic climate change. More worryingly, they identified a feedback loop in which wildfires further suppress precipitation, worsening drought conditions and making the region even more fire-prone.
How Wildfires S...
