Many forests will become highly flammable for at least 30 extra days per year unless we cut emissions, research finds

<https://theconversation.com/many-forests-will-become-highly-flammable-for-at-least-30-extra-days-per-year-unless-we-cut-emissions-research-finds-195546>

"Without strong climate action, forests on every continent will be highly
flammable for at least 30 extra days per year by the end of the century – and
this fire threat is far greater for some forests including the Amazon,
according to our new study.

Our research in Nature Communications looked at 20 years of global satellite
data to test the link between wildfires and “vapour pressure deficit” – a
measure of the atmosphere’s power to suck moisture out of living and dead
plants. It can also be thought of as how “thirsty” the air is.

Our results show that forest fire becomes much more likely above a certain
threshold of vapour pressure deficit in many regions. This threshold depends on
the type of forest.

Alarmingly, climate change is increasing the number of days the planet passes
these crucial thresholds. But by urgently bringing global emissions down, we
can minimise the number of extra wildfire days."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics