Warming removes water from the soil: Climate change is fueling wildfires in the United States

Tuesday, November 02, 2021

Warming removes water from the soil
Climate change is triggering wildfires in the United States

Wildfires are common in the United States, their intensity has increased significantly over the last 20 years, and the area burned is growing enormously. U.S. researchers have found the reasons for this. The most important is climate change and the associated global warming.

Climate change is the leading cause of catastrophic wildfires in the United States, according to a new study. Between 2001 and 2018, fires in the western United States destroyed an average of 13,500 square kilometers of land per year – more than doubled between 1984 and 2000. “It happened much faster than we thought before,” said meteorologist Rong Fu. Los Angeles Times “.

In order to understand what led to a significant deterioration in the situation within a short period of time, Fu and his team investigated. The study was published in the journal PNAS Many factors that affect what is known as air dissatisfaction (VPD). This value indicates how much moisture the air will absorb at a given temperature. The greater the scarcity, the more water is taken from the soil and plants. These then dry out, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Two-thirds of the change is caused by climate change

Scientists believe that the increase in wildfires in the western United States during the summer months is closely related to the lack of air concentration. According to the study, from 2001 to 2018, the number of days with the highest VPD value increased by 94 percent from May to September. According to Fu and his team, natural climate fluctuations account for only 32 percent of the average increase in VPD. Global warming may be responsible for the remaining 68 percent increase over the past 20 years.

“Before 2000, the weather that promoted this fire could be well explained with weather data,” Fu said. However, now less than a third of these natural phenomena can be detected. Some models assume that up to 88 percent of the discrepancies in VDP values ​​are due to man-made global warming.

At the COP26 World Climate Conference in Glasgow, delegates from 197 countries are currently in talks to further implement the 2015 Paris Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement stipulates that it should be less than two degrees, less than 1.5 degrees, compared to global warming. Pre-industrial age. Experts and the UN warn that the Earth is currently heading towards 2.7 degrees Celsius this century.