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Coupling heat wave and wildfire occurrence across multiple ecoregions within a Eurasia longitudinal gradient
Elia Mario1, Lafortezza Raffaele2, Cappelluti Onofrio1
1Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy.
The Science of the Total Environment
|December 12, 2023
Summary
Heat waves significantly influence wildfire occurrence across Eurasia, particularly in identified hotspot areas within forest and steppe ecosystems. This study reveals spatial variations in fire regimes and heat wave impacts, crucial for disaster risk mitigation.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Climate Science
- Ecology
Background:
- Understanding heat wave and wildfire dynamics is critical for global change studies due to ecological and societal threats.
- Previous research has lacked spatial and temporal analysis of heat wave-wildfire relationships across large regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the spatial and temporal relationship between heat waves and wildfire occurrence across 37 ecoregions in Eurasia.
- To identify specific ecoregions and geographical areas where heat waves act as a significant driver of wildfires.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wildfire data (GlobFire) and meteorological data (ERA5-land) from 2001-2019.
- Computed wildfire metrics (density, seasonality, severity) and heat wave characteristics (period, duration, intensity) on a 12 km grid.
- Employed statistical tests and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) to model spatial relationships.
Main Results:
- Ecoregions exhibited distinct fire regimes, but heat wave occurrence showed less variation.
- Geographically Weighted Regression identified significant spatial variability in the relationship between heat waves and wildfire metrics.
- Hotspot areas were identified where heat waves positively and significantly drive wildfire occurrence in forest and steppe ecosystems.
Conclusions:
- Heat waves are a significant driver of wildfires in specific Eurasian hotspot areas, particularly in forest and steppe ecosystems.
- Findings support a more nuanced assessment of wildfire patterns and inform cross-regional disaster risk reduction strategies.
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