Greater atmospheric demand for water means a dramatic increase in the risk of major fires in global forests unless we take urgent and effective climate action, new research finds.
Greater atmospheric demand for water means a dramatic increase in the risk of major fires in global forests unless we take urgent and effective climate action, new research finds.
Published in Nature Communications, researchers have examined global climate and fire records in all of the world’s forests over the last 20 years.
The researchers found that in all kinds of forests, there is a strong link between fire activity and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), which is a measure of the atmosphere’s thirst.
VPD is calculated from temperature and humidity. It describes the difference between how much moisture is in the air, and how much moisture the air can hold when it’s saturated (which is when dew forms.) The greater this difference, or deficit, the the greater the air’s drying power on fuels.
Read more at University of Melbourne
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