scholarly journals Australia’s Black Summer pyrocumulonimbus super outbreak reveals potential for increasingly extreme stratospheric smoke events

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Peterson ◽  
Michael D. Fromm ◽  
Richard H. D. McRae ◽  
James R. Campbell ◽  
Edward J. Hyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Weather Phenomenon ◽  
Smoke Plumes ◽  
Potential Scale ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Nuclear Winter

AbstractThe Black Summer fire season of 2019–2020 in southeastern Australia contributed to an intense ‘super outbreak’ of fire-induced and smoke-infused thunderstorms, known as pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb). More than half of the 38 observed pyroCbs injected smoke particles directly into the stratosphere, producing two of the three largest smoke plumes observed at such altitudes to date. Over the course of 3 months, these plumes encircled a large swath of the Southern Hemisphere while continuing to rise, in a manner consistent with existing nuclear winter theory. We connect cause and effect of this event by quantifying the fire characteristics, fuel consumption, and meteorology contributing to the pyroCb spatiotemporal evolution. Emphasis is placed on the unusually long duration of sustained pyroCb activity and anomalous persistence during nighttime hours. The ensuing stratospheric smoke plumes are compared with plumes injected by significant volcanic eruptions over the last decade. As the second record-setting stratospheric pyroCb event in the last 4 years, the Australian super outbreak offers new clues on the potential scale and intensity of this increasingly extreme fire-weather phenomenon in a warming climate.

scholarly journals Quantitative Analysis of Forest Fires in Southeastern Australia Using SAR Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2386
Author(s):  
Aqil Tariq ◽  
Hong Shu ◽  
Qingting Li ◽  
Orhan Altan ◽  
Mobushir Riaz Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Backscatter Coefficient ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Sar Data ◽  
Sar Imagery

Prescribed burning is a common strategy for minimizing forest fire risk. Fire is introduced under specific environmental conditions, with explicit duration, intensity, and rate of spread. Such conditions deviate from those encountered during the fire season. Prescribed burns mostly affect surface fuels and understory vegetation, an outcome markedly different when compared to wildfires. Data on prescribed burning are crucial for evaluating whether land management targets have been reached. This research developed a methodology to quantify the effects of prescribed burns using multi-temporal Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery in the forests of southeastern Australia. C-band SAR datasets were specifically used to statistically explore changes in radar backscatter coefficients with the intensity of prescribed burns. Two modeling approaches based on pre- and post-fire ratios were applied for evaluating prescribed burn impacts. The effects of prescribed burns were documented with an overall accuracy of 82.3% using cross-polarized backscatter (VH) SAR data under dry conditions. The VV polarization indicated some potential to detect burned areas under wet conditions. The findings in this study indicate that the C-band SAR backscatter coefficient has the potential to evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed burns due to its sensitivity to changes in vegetation structure.

scholarly journals Lidar observations of pyrocumulonimbus smoke plumes in the UTLS over Tomsk (Western Siberia, Russia) from 2000 to 2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 3341-3356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir V. Zuev ◽  
Vladislav V. Gerasimov ◽  
Aleksei V. Nevzorov ◽  
Ekaterina S. Savelieva
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Far East ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Combustion Products ◽  
Backscatter Coefficient ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Aerosol Loading ◽  
Smoke Plumes ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. Large volcanic eruptions with the volcanic explosivity index (VEI) ≥ 3 are widely known to be the strongest source of long-lived aerosol in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). However, the latest studies have revealed that massive forest (bush) fires represent another strong source of short-term (but intense) aerosol perturbations in the UTLS if combustion products from the fires reach these altitudes via convective ascent within pyrocumulonimbus clouds (pyroCbs). PyroCbs, generated by boreal wildfires in North America and northeastern Asia and injecting smoke plumes into the UTLS, have been intensively studied using both ground- and space-based instruments since the beginning of the 21st century. In this paper, we focus on aerosol layers observed in the UTLS over Tomsk (56.48∘ N, 85.05∘ E, Western Siberia, Russia) that could be smoke plumes from such pyroCb events occurring in the 2000–2017 period. Using the HYSPLIT trajectory analysis, we have reliably assigned nine aerosol layers to 8 out of more than 100 documented pyroCb events, the aftereffects of which could potentially be detected in the UTLS over Tomsk. All the eight pyroCb events occurred in the USA and Canada: one event per year occurred in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2015, and 2016, whereas two events occurred in 2017. No plumes from pyroCbs originating in the boreal zone of Siberia and the Far East (to the east of Tomsk) were observed in the UTLS over Tomsk between 2000 and 2017. We conclude that the time durations for pyroCb plumes to be detected in the UTLS using ground-based lidars are less than about a month, i.e., plumes from pyroCbs generated by wildfires to the east of Tomsk can significantly diffuse before reaching the Tomsk lidar station by the westerly zonal transport of air masses. A comparative analysis of the contributions from pyroCb events and volcanic eruptions with VEI ≥ 3 to aerosol loading of the UTLS over Tomsk showed the following. Plumes from two or more pyroCbs that have occurred in North America in a single year are able to markedly increase the aerosol loading compared to the previous year. The annual average value of the integrated aerosol backscatter coefficient Bπ,532a increased by 14.8 % in 2017 compared to that in 2016 due to multiple pyroCbs occurring in British Columbia (Canada) in August 2017. The aftereffects of pyroCb events are comparable to those of volcanic eruptions with VEI ≤ 3, but even multiple pyroCbs can hardly compete with volcanic eruptions with VEI = 4.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF THE UTILITY OF THE ADVANCED HIMAWARI IMAGER TO DETECT ACTIVE FIRE OVER AUSTRALIA

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B8 ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hally ◽  
L. Wallace ◽  
K. Reinke ◽  
S. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Land Management ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Fire Detection ◽  
Japan Meteorological Agency ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Detection And Attribution ◽  
Noise Characteristics ◽  
Fire Characteristics

Wildfire detection and attribution is an issue of importance due to the socio-economic impact of fires in Australia. Early detection of fires allows emergency response agencies to make informed decisions in order to minimise loss of life and protect strategic resources in threatened areas. Until recently, the ability of land management authorities to accurately assess fire through satellite observations of Australia was limited to those made by polar orbiting satellites. The launch of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Himawari-8 satellite, with the 16-band Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI-8) onboard, in October 2014 presents a significant opportunity to improve the timeliness of satellite fire detection across Australia. The near real-time availability of images, at a ten minute frequency, may also provide contextual information (background temperature) leading to improvements in the assessment of fire characteristics. This paper investigates the application of the high frequency observation data supplied by this sensor for fire detection and attribution. As AHI-8 is a new sensor we have performed an analysis of the noise characteristics of the two spectral bands used for fire attribution across various land use types which occur in Australia. Using this information we have adapted existing algorithms, based upon least squares error minimisation and Kalman filtering, which utilise high frequency observations of surface temperature to detect and attribute fire. The fire detection and attribution information provided by these algorithms is then compared to existing satellite based fire products as well as in-situ information provided by land management agencies. These comparisons were made Australia-wide for an entire fire season - including many significant fire events (wildfires and prescribed burns). Preliminary detection results suggest that these methods for fire detection perform comparably to existing fire products and fire incident reporting from relevant fire authorities but with the advantage of being near-real time. Issues remain for detection due to cloud and smoke obscuration, along with validation of the attribution of fire characteristics using these algorithms.

scholarly journals Rainfall patterns after fire differentially affect the recruitment of three Mediterranean shrubs

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 3721-3732 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Moreno ◽  
E. Zuazua ◽  
B. Pérez ◽  
B. Luna ◽  
A. Velasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mediterranean Shrubs ◽  
Rainfall Patterns ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Projected Changes ◽  
In Fire

Abstract. In fire-prone environments, the "event-dependent hypothesis" states that plant population changes are driven by the unique set of conditions of a fire (e.g. fire season, climate). Climate variability, in particular changes in rainfall patterns, can be most important for seeder species, since they regenerate after fire from seeds, and for Mediterranean shrublands, given the high yearly variability of rainfall in these ecosystems. Yet, the role of rainfall variability and its interaction with fire characteristics (e.g. fire season) on plant populations has received little attention. Here we investigated the changes in seedling emergence and recruitment of three seeder species (Cistus ladanifer, Erica umbellata and Rosmarinus officinalis) after fires lit during three different years and at two times (early and late) during the fire season. Three plots were burned at each season, for a total of 18 plots burned during the three years. After fire, emerged seedlings were tallied, tagged and monitored during three years (two in the last burning year). Rainfall during the study period was rather variable and, in some years, it was well below average. Postfire seedling emergence varied by a factor of 3 to 12, depending on the species and on the burning year. The bulk of seedling emergence occurred during the first year after fire; seedling recruitment at the end of the study period was tightly correlated with this early emergence. Emergence in Erica and Rosmarinus, but not in Cistus, was correlated with precipitation in the fall and winter immediately after fire, with Erica being the most sensitive to reduced rainfall. Fire season was generally neither an important factor in controlling emergence nor, in particular, recruitment. We discuss how projected changes in rainfall patterns with global warming could alter the balance of species in this shrubland, and could drive some species to near local extinction.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF THE UTILITY OF THE ADVANCED HIMAWARI IMAGER TO DETECT ACTIVE FIRE OVER AUSTRALIA

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B8 ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Hally ◽  
L. Wallace ◽  
K. Reinke ◽  
S. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Land Management ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Fire Detection ◽  
Japan Meteorological Agency ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Detection And Attribution ◽  
Noise Characteristics ◽  
Fire Characteristics

Wildfire detection and attribution is an issue of importance due to the socio-economic impact of fires in Australia. Early detection of fires allows emergency response agencies to make informed decisions in order to minimise loss of life and protect strategic resources in threatened areas. Until recently, the ability of land management authorities to accurately assess fire through satellite observations of Australia was limited to those made by polar orbiting satellites. The launch of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Himawari-8 satellite, with the 16-band Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI-8) onboard, in October 2014 presents a significant opportunity to improve the timeliness of satellite fire detection across Australia. The near real-time availability of images, at a ten minute frequency, may also provide contextual information (background temperature) leading to improvements in the assessment of fire characteristics. This paper investigates the application of the high frequency observation data supplied by this sensor for fire detection and attribution. As AHI-8 is a new sensor we have performed an analysis of the noise characteristics of the two spectral bands used for fire attribution across various land use types which occur in Australia. Using this information we have adapted existing algorithms, based upon least squares error minimisation and Kalman filtering, which utilise high frequency observations of surface temperature to detect and attribute fire. The fire detection and attribution information provided by these algorithms is then compared to existing satellite based fire products as well as in-situ information provided by land management agencies. These comparisons were made Australia-wide for an entire fire season - including many significant fire events (wildfires and prescribed burns). Preliminary detection results suggest that these methods for fire detection perform comparably to existing fire products and fire incident reporting from relevant fire authorities but with the advantage of being near-real time. Issues remain for detection due to cloud and smoke obscuration, along with validation of the attribution of fire characteristics using these algorithms.

scholarly journals FIRE CHARACTERISTICS OF ZAGROS FOREST ECOSYSTEM, KERMANSHAH PROVINCE, WESTERN IRAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-100
Author(s):  
Mohsen Javanmiri pour
Keyword(s):  
Social Issues ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Habitat Factors ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Fire Area ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Terrestrial Biomes

Fires are an integral part of many terrestrial biomes and a major source of disturbance in nature. The purpose of this study is to assess the causes and characteristics of fires in the Zagros ecosystem in ten consecutive years from 2011 to 2020. To conduct this research, wholly fire events that occurred in natural areas in the Gilan-e Gharb basin during the fire season detailed in a decade. In practice, immediately after informed of the occurrence of fires in natural areas, research data recorded. Totally, 233 event fires have occurred in the ten years from 2011 to 2020. The fire affected approximately 11,420 hectares of natural areas. The highest frequency of monthly fires during the months of the fire season includes 53, 44, and 40 events, which concern August, July, and September, respectively. The frequency of fires in different components of natural resources shows that the highest and the least frequency includes non-wooded pastures (44.6±5.6) and mixed Forest-rangeland (14.25±4.11). The most causes of fire in natural areas include recreation and hunting (43.3±16.1). The maximum frequency of the fire area includes <100 hectares’ classes (83.6±20.57). Most fires suppressed in a very short period (64.27±26.17). Daneh Khoshk, Nawdar, Poshteh, Peikoleh, Belaleh, Cheleh – Ghalajeh as well as Chikan regions include a high risk of fire. The issues connected to the fire are multidimensional. It deals with climatic and habitat factors, social issues, and the nature conservation culture institutionalization among the local people. To reduce the fire and the resulting damage, it is necessary to perform basic proceedings in whole fields.

scholarly journals Rainfall patterns after fire differentially affect the recruitment of three Mediterranean shrubs

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 5761-5786 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Moreno ◽  
E. Zuazua ◽  
B. Pérez ◽  
B. Luna ◽  
A. Velasco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mediterranean Shrubs ◽  
Rainfall Patterns ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Projected Changes

Abstract. In fire-prone environments, the "event-dependent hypothesis" states that plant population changes are driven by the unique set of conditions of a fire (e.g., fire season, climate). Climate variability, in particular changes in rainfall patterns, can be most important for seeder species, since they must regenerate after fire from seeds, and for Mediterranean shrublands, given the high yearly variability of rainfall in these ecosystems. Yet, the role of rainfall variability and its interaction with fire characteristics (e.g., fire season) on plant populations has received little attention. Here we investigated the changes in seedling emergence and recruitment of three seeder species (Cistus ladanifer, Erica umbellata and Rosmarinus officinalis) after fires lit during three different years and at two times during the fire season (early and late in the fire season) to account for potential changes in the soil seed-bank during the year. Three plots were burned at each season, for a total of 18 plots burned during the three years. After fire, emerged seedlings were tallied, tagged and monitored during three years (two the last burning year). Rainfall during the study period was rather variable, and in some years was well below average. Seedling emergence after fire varied by a factor of 3 to 10, depending on the species and on the burning year. The bulk of seedling emergence occurred in the first year after fire, and seedling recruitment at the end of the study period was tightly correlated with this early emergence. Seedling emergence in E umbellata and R officinalis, but not in C ladanifer, were correlated with precipitation in the fall and winter immediately after the fire, being E umbellata most sensitive to low rainfall. Fire season was generally not an important factor in controlling emergence and recruitment. We discuss how projected changes in rainfall patterns with global warming can alter the balance of species in this shrubland, and can drive some species to near local extinction.

Early human occupation of southeastern Australia: New insights from 40Ar/39Ar dating of young volcanoes

Geology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-394
Author(s):  
Erin L. Matchan ◽  
David Phillips ◽  
Fred Jourdan ◽  
Korien Oostingh
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
14C Age

Abstract In Australia, the onset of human occupation (≥65 ka?) and dispersion across the continent are the subjects of intense debate and are critical to understanding global human migration routes. New-generation multi-collector mass spectrometers capable of high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of young (&lt;500 ka) samples provide unprecedented opportunities to improve temporal constraints of archaeological events. In southeastern Australia, a novel approach to improving understanding of occupation involves dating key volcanic eruptions in the region, referenced to stone artifacts and Aboriginal oral traditions. The current study focuses on two monogenetic volcanoes in the Newer Volcanic Province of southeastern Australia: Budj Bim (previously Mount Eccles) and Tower Hill. Budj Bim and its surrounding lava landforms are of great cultural significance and feature prominently in the oral traditions of the Gunditjmara people. Tower Hill is of archaeological significance due to the occurrence of a stone tool beneath tephra. 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages of 36.9 ± 3.1 ka (95% confidence interval) and 36.8 ± 3.8 ka (2σ) were determined for the Budj Bim and Tower Hill volcanic complexes, respectively. The Tower Hill eruption age is a minimum age constraint for human presence in Victoria, consistent with published optically stimulated luminescence and 14C age constraints for the earliest known occupation sites in Tasmania, New South Wales, and South Australia. If aspects of oral traditions pertaining to Budj Bim or its surrounding lava landforms reflect volcanic activity, this could be interpreted as evidence for these being some of the oldest oral traditions in existence.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Smoke Emitted from Boreal Forest Wildfires on the High Latitude Radiative Energy Budget—A Case Study of the 2002 Yakutsk Wildfires

Atmosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Lu ◽  
Irina Sokolik
Keyword(s):  
Energy Budget ◽  
Cloud Water ◽  
Surface Radiation ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Smoke Particles ◽  
Smoke Plumes ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
Water Amount

We examine the 2002 Yakutsk wildfire event and simulate the impacts of smoke aerosols on local radiative energy budget, using the WRF-Chem-SMOKE model. When comparing satellite retrievals (the Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) dataset) with model simulations, we found that the agreement is generally good, except for the regions where the model predicts too few clouds or SRB misclassifies strong smoke plumes as clouds. We also found that the smoke-induced changes in upward shortwave fluxes at top of atmosphere (TOA) vary under different burning and meteorological conditions. In the first period of the fire season (9–12 August), smoke particles cause a warming effect around 3 W/m2, mainly through functioning as ice nuclei, which deplete the cloud water amount in the frontal system. At the beginning of the second period of the fire season (19–20 August), large amounts of pre-existing smoke particles cause a strong cooling effect of −8 W/m2. This is offset by the warming effect caused by relatively small amounts of cloud condensation nuclei increases, which promotes the rain formation and depletes the cloud water amount. After the cloud decks are well mixed with smoke plumes (21–22 August), the first indirect and direct effects of smoke together lead to a cooling of −10 W/m2. These results highlight the importance of meso-scale modeling efforts in estimating the smoke-induced changes in the radiative energy budget over high latitudes.

scholarly journals An analysis of spotting distances during the 2017 fire season in the Northern Rockies, USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-325
Author(s):  
Wesley G. Page ◽  
Natalie S. Wagenbrenner ◽  
Bret W. Butler ◽  
David L. Blunck
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Unique Combination ◽  
Fire Growth ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Northern Rockies ◽  
Fire Characteristics ◽  
Infrared Data

The wildfires that burned in the Northern Rockies region of the USA during the 2017 fire season provided an opportunity to evaluate the suitability of using broadscale and temporally limited infrared data on hot spot locations to determine the influence of several environmental variables on spotting distance. Specifically, correlations between the maximum observed spot fire distance for each unique combination of fire and day and geo-referenced environmental data on wind speed, vegetation, and terrain, along with specific fire characteristics (size, fire perimeter shape, and growth), were assessed. The data were also utilized to evaluate a popular theoretical model developed by Albini (1979) for predicting the maximum spotting distance for single and group tree torching. The results suggested a significant positive correlation between the maximum observed spot fire distance and an interaction between fire growth and wind speed. Significant negative correlations between maximum spotting distance and fire perimeter shape, canopy height, and terrain steepness were also discovered. The evaluation of Albini’s (1979) model suggested that selecting a high estimate of potential wind speed was important to minimize the likelihood of underpredicting maximum spotting distance.

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