Climate Change Altering , Wildfire Patterns, , Increasing the Risk of Night Fires.
'Newsweek' reports that North America is facing an
"emerging phenomenon" in which the dangerous
conditions that spawn wildfires occur during the night. .
Typically, these conditions have only existed
during the daytime, as the cooler temperatures
of night usually alleviate these conditions.
Researchers found that accumulated
fuel dryness brought on by drought
has led to fires thriving at night. .
I think it is important to bring this
emerging phenomenon to the
public to let them know that
the night might not save us, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'.
The team's findings challenge conventional methods of
fighting wildfires, as cooler night temperatures and higher
humidity previously worked to slow wildfires' growth.
Originally, I had thought that
since nights are warming faster
than days, higher temperatures
and the associated lower relative
humidity at night would lead
to more overnight fires, Mike Flannigan, University of Alberta professor emeritus and researcher with Thompson Rivers University, via 'Newsweek'.
In the extreme cases, there would be
no difference between an overnight
burn event and daytime burning, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'.
Researchers found that daytime
drought conditions could be used as a , "predictor of overnight burning events.".
Nighttime burning has long been
overlooked. In a warmer and drier
world, we can use daytime drought
indicators to predict the night.
More of these fires also increase
the likelihood of a catastrophic fire, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'