Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle
Warming-driven lightning frequency increases may influence the burning rate within the circumpolar Arctic and influence vegetation productivity (GPP). We considered wildfire occurrence within the different Arctic sectors (Russian, North American, and Scandinavian). We used satellite-derived (MODIS)...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2073-4433/14/6/957/ 2023-08-20T04:03:22+02:00 Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle Viacheslav I. Kharuk Maria L. Dvinskaya Alexey S. Golyukov Sergei T. Im Anastasia V. Stalmak agris 2023-05-30 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Meteorology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Atmosphere; Volume 14; Issue 6; Pages: 957 lightning fire ignition arctic fires northward fire migration heat waves arctic vegetation productivity wildfire recovery Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 2023-08-01T10:17:32Z Warming-driven lightning frequency increases may influence the burning rate within the circumpolar Arctic and influence vegetation productivity (GPP). We considered wildfire occurrence within the different Arctic sectors (Russian, North American, and Scandinavian). We used satellite-derived (MODIS) data to document changes in the occurrence and geographic extent of wildfires and vegetation productivity. Correlation analysis was used to determine environmental variables (lightning occurrence, air temperature, precipitation, soil and terrestrial moisture content) associated with a change in wildfires. Within the Arctic, the majority (>75%) of wildfires occurred in Russia (and ca. 65% in Eastern Siberia). We found that lightning occurrence increase and moisture are primary factors that meditate the fire frequency in the Arctic. Throughout the Arctic, warming-driven lightning influences fire occurrence observed mainly in Eastern Siberia (>40% of explained variance). Similar values (ca. 40%) at the scale of Eurasia and the entire Arctic are attributed to Eastern Siberia input. Driving by increased lightning and warming, the fires’ occurrence boundary is shifting northward and already reached the Arctic Ocean coast in Eastern Siberia. The boundary’s extreme shifts synchronized with air temperature extremes (heat waves). Despite the increased burning rate, vegetation productivity rapidly (5–10 y) recovered to pre-fire levels within burns. Together with increasing GPP trends throughout the Arctic, that may offset fires-caused carbon release and maintain the status of the Arctic as a carbon sink. Text Arctic Arctic Ocean Russian North Siberia MDPI Open Access Publishing Arctic Arctic Ocean Atmosphere 14 6 957 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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English |
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lightning fire ignition arctic fires northward fire migration heat waves arctic vegetation productivity wildfire recovery |
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lightning fire ignition arctic fires northward fire migration heat waves arctic vegetation productivity wildfire recovery Viacheslav I. Kharuk Maria L. Dvinskaya Alexey S. Golyukov Sergei T. Im Anastasia V. Stalmak Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
topic_facet |
lightning fire ignition arctic fires northward fire migration heat waves arctic vegetation productivity wildfire recovery |
description |
Warming-driven lightning frequency increases may influence the burning rate within the circumpolar Arctic and influence vegetation productivity (GPP). We considered wildfire occurrence within the different Arctic sectors (Russian, North American, and Scandinavian). We used satellite-derived (MODIS) data to document changes in the occurrence and geographic extent of wildfires and vegetation productivity. Correlation analysis was used to determine environmental variables (lightning occurrence, air temperature, precipitation, soil and terrestrial moisture content) associated with a change in wildfires. Within the Arctic, the majority (>75%) of wildfires occurred in Russia (and ca. 65% in Eastern Siberia). We found that lightning occurrence increase and moisture are primary factors that meditate the fire frequency in the Arctic. Throughout the Arctic, warming-driven lightning influences fire occurrence observed mainly in Eastern Siberia (>40% of explained variance). Similar values (ca. 40%) at the scale of Eurasia and the entire Arctic are attributed to Eastern Siberia input. Driving by increased lightning and warming, the fires’ occurrence boundary is shifting northward and already reached the Arctic Ocean coast in Eastern Siberia. The boundary’s extreme shifts synchronized with air temperature extremes (heat waves). Despite the increased burning rate, vegetation productivity rapidly (5–10 y) recovered to pre-fire levels within burns. Together with increasing GPP trends throughout the Arctic, that may offset fires-caused carbon release and maintain the status of the Arctic as a carbon sink. |
format |
Text |
author |
Viacheslav I. Kharuk Maria L. Dvinskaya Alexey S. Golyukov Sergei T. Im Anastasia V. Stalmak |
author_facet |
Viacheslav I. Kharuk Maria L. Dvinskaya Alexey S. Golyukov Sergei T. Im Anastasia V. Stalmak |
author_sort |
Viacheslav I. Kharuk |
title |
Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
title_short |
Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
title_full |
Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
title_fullStr |
Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lightning-Ignited Wildfires beyond the Polar Circle |
title_sort |
lightning-ignited wildfires beyond the polar circle |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 |
op_coverage |
agris |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Russian North Siberia |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Russian North Siberia |
op_source |
Atmosphere; Volume 14; Issue 6; Pages: 957 |
op_relation |
Meteorology https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14060957 |
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Atmosphere |
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14 |
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6 |
container_start_page |
957 |
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