Simultaneous outbreaks of large wildfires will become more frequent in the Western United States this century as the climate warms, putting major strains on efforts to fight fires, new research shows.
Simultaneous outbreaks of large wildfires will become more frequent in the Western United States this century as the climate warms, putting major strains on efforts to fight fires, new research shows.
The new study, led by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), focused on wildfires of 1,000 acres or larger. It found that wildfire seasons in which several such blazes burn concurrently will become more common, with the most severe seasons becoming at least twice as frequent by the end of this century.
The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, which is NCAR’s sponsor, and by the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Higher temperatures and drier conditions will greatly increase the risk of simultaneous wildfires throughout the West,” said NCAR scientist Seth McGinnis, the lead author of the study. “The worst seasons for simultaneous fires are the ones that are going to increase the most in the future.”
Read more at National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
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