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UrduA model of the eastern California forests of the Sierra Nevada looks at the longer-term future of wildfires under future climate change scenarios. Results show an initial roughly decade-long burst of wildfire activity, followed by recurring fires of decreasing area — a pattern that could apply to other drought-prone regions of the West.
Tag: Wildfire
Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Contracting COVID-19
Wildfire smoke may greatly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), Washoe County Health District (WCHD), and Renown Health (Renown) in Reno, Nev.
As the U.S. Faces Lengthier Fire Seasons, Research Suggests Mental Health of Survivors Must be a Focus
Researchers say that government, public health agencies, and the public generally need to understand the mental health impacts of wildfire smoke as the world enters a time in which wildfire smoke events are prolonged events.
Disaster Response and Mitigation in an AI World
PNNL researchers are expanding PNNL’s operational Rapid Analytics for Disaster Response (RADR) image analytics and modeling suite to predict the path of fires, floods and other natural disasters, giving first responders an upper hand. The suite utilizes a combination of image-capturing technology (satellite, airborne, and drone images), artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, to not only assess damage but predict it as well.
Shelter from the storm
The new book “All Creatures Safe and Sound” examines how pets are managed during disasters and provides tips for keeping them safe. Sarah DeYoung, core faculty in the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center, talks about previous studies and the work that still needs to be addressed.
As Wildfires Increase in Severity, Experts Call for Coordinated Federal Response;
In advance of a wildfire season projected to be among the worst, the American Thoracic Society has released a report that calls for a unified federal response to wildfires that includes investment in research on smoke exposure and forecasting, health impacts of smoke, evaluation of interventions, and a clear and coordinated communication strategy to protect public health.
Wildfire smoke trends worsening for Western U.S.
New research from the University of Utah ties the worsening trend of extreme poor air quality events in Western regions to wildfire activity, with growing trends of smoke impacting air quality clear into September.
Burning the Forest, Not Just the Trees
Wildfires affect both the visible parts of plants and the plant microbiome. Understanding these effects helps scientists mitigate the effects of wildfires. This research examined microbial DNA samples from tissues of young quaking aspen saplings after a prescribed burn. Aspen relies largely on fire to regenerate. This work demonstrates that fire affects the entire plant microbiome, not just nearby soil.
The Race Against the Climate Crisis
Just adapting to climate change is not something the world can afford to do. So, the CSU is exploring all options to thwart potentially disastrous consequences.
From Smoky Skies to a Green Horizon: Scientists Convert Fire-Risk Wood into Biofuel
Reliance on petroleum fuels and raging wildfires: Two separate, large-scale challenges that could be addressed by one scientific breakthrough. Researchers from two national laboratories have collaborated to develop a streamlined and efficient process for converting woody plant matter like forest overgrowth and agricultural waste – material that is currently burned either intentionally or unintentionally – into liquid biofuel.
How outdoor pollution affects indoor air quality
In a long-term study in a Salt Lake-area building, researchers found that the amount of air pollution that comes indoors depends on the type of outdoor pollution. Wildfires, fireworks and wintertime inversions all affect indoor air to different degrees.
DHS Trains California Fire Services on Situational Awareness Application
DHS S&T recently conducted a virtual training on its Team Awareness Kit (TAK) that provides such features as video sharing, location tracking of fire equipment, fire perimeters from aircraft, and fire model forecasts.
UCI, Tsinghua U.: California’s 2018 wildfires caused $150 billion in damages
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 7, 2020 — In 2018, California wildfires caused economic losses of nearly $150 billion, or about 0.7 percent of the gross domestic product of the entire United States that year, and a considerable fraction of those costs affected people far from the fires and even outside of the Golden State. For a study published today in Nature Sustainability, researchers at the University of California, Irvine, China’s Tsinghua University and other institutions combined physical, epidemiological and economic models to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the blazes.
In fire-prone West, plants need their pollinators — and vice versa
2020 is the worst fire year on record in the United States. In the face of heartbreaking losses, effort and expense, scientists are still grappling with some of the most basic questions about how fire influences interactions between plants and animals in the natural world. A new study grounded in the northern Rockies explores the role of fire in the finely tuned dance between plants and their pollinators.
During Busy Wildfire Season (and Pandemic), S&T Focus on Sensors Burns Bright
DHS S&T’s Smart City Internet of Things Innovation (SCITI) Labs program is bringing together government and private sector partners to identify technologies that can detect and alert emergency management, utilities, and citizens of a threatening wildfire.
Study: Decreasing Wildfires Observed Over Central Africa
A new observational study has revealed a decreasing burned area trend that could impact African ecosystems.
Michigan Tech Expert on Wildfire Smoke, Human Health
What are the effects of wildfires on the ecosystem, the atmosphere, and human health? Through remote sensing, Nancy French, senior research scientist at the Michigan Tech Research Institute, connects wildfire fuel to how fires behave and what ends up in the…
James Randerson, UCI professor of Earth system science, available to comment on western U.S. wildfires
Prof. Jim Randerson is a leading U.S. expert on human impacts on biogeochemical cycles, with particular empasis on climate and wildfires. A good summary of his research activities can be found here: https://sites.uci.edu/randersonlab/media/. Jim’s lab website: https://sites.uci.edu/randersonlab/. If you would…
Oregon State University wildfire expert available for interviews about wildfires in U.S. West
David Blunck, an associate professor of mechanical engineering Oregon State University, is an expert on the burning of live fuels, such as live trees and bushes. Blunck and his colleagues use a combination of lab work, modeling, and field studies…
Cost of climate change comes due with California wildfires
Wildfires continue to rage in California, Oregon and other western states as residents evacuate, while cities like San Francisco face eerie smoke cover and poor air quality. Kathleen Bergin, professor of law at Cornell Law School, is an expert in…
Wildfire Smoke May Increase Risk to COVID-19 Infection
Wildfires are becoming more common and severe due to climate change and warmer and drier conditions in the West. As wildfire season rages in the United States, people are also at increased risk for COVID-19 infection due to wildfire smoke.
How do wildfires affect ecosystems, the atmosphere, & human health? Connecting wildfire fuel to how fires behave & what ends up in the smoke.
What are the effects of wildfires on the ecosystem, the atmosphere, and human health? Through remote sensing, Nancy French, senior research scientist at the Michigan Tech Research Institute, connects wildfire fuel to how fires behave and what ends up in…
U wildfire researchers fine-tune forest fire computer models
Grass fires behave differently than those in forests. But computer fire simulations don’t capture that difference very well. Derek Mallia and colleagues found that conventional models overestimate the growth rate of fires in forests and the height of smoke plumes.…
Know the risks of investing in forests
Some governments are counting on planted forests as offsets for greenhouse gas emissions—a sort of climate investment. But as with any investment, it’s important to understand the risks. If a forest goes bust, researchers say, much of that stored carbon could go up in smoke.
Forests can be best deployed in the fight against climate change with a proper understanding of the risks to that forest that climate change itself imposes.
Study synthesizes what climate change means for Northwest wildfires
Researchers synthesize how climate change will affect the risk of wildfires in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana. The study also suggests how managers and individual landowners in different ecosystems can best prepare.
The Lungs and Climate Change
Leading up to Earth Day on April 22, Cedars-Sinai is posting a weekly story and video that investigates the various ways climate change is impacting our bodies. This week’s topic: The Lungs and Climate Change.
Early treatment for PTSD after a disaster has lasting effects
In 1988, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Armenian city of Spitak. The temblor destroyed cities and is estimated to have killed between 25,000 and 35,000 people, many of whom were schoolchildren.
Toxicological Research on E-cigarettes, PFAS, Cannabinoids, Wildfires, and More to Be Presented during the SOT 59th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo
With 80+ Featured and Scientific Sessions and 2,000+ presentations showcasing advances in fundamental and translational sciences and emerging disciplines and technologies, the 59th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo of the Society of Toxicology is the largest forum for toxicological research in the world.
Burning to understand
Wildfires significantly impact the health of economies in the western United States that are highly dependent on tourism, agriculture, and timber. David Blunck, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Oregon State University, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to spearhead a $2.1 million study examining the burning behavior of live fuels
in order to better predict and manage wildfires.
Scientists Available to Comment on Environmental Impacts of Australian Bushfires
As record wildfires continue to burn in Australia, people are wondering about their long-term impacts, including on the environment. To address these questions, two environmental science experts at IUPUI — Indiana University’s premier urban research campus in downtown Indianapolis —…
Beyond the bushfires, what can teachers do to help their kids?
In a little over two weeks, more than three million Australian students will return to school, ready to start a new year. But, amid the packed lunches and book bags, many may also be returning with a sense of anxiety and confusion in the aftermath of Australia’s devastating bushfires.
Australian fires will be ‘dwarfed’ by future events, continued warming, drying climate
West Virginia University geographer and paleoclimatologist Amy Hessl has studied the climate history of Australia and even happens to be in the country as it faces massive fires that have left many homeless and resulted in at least 20 deaths. A changing climate,…
As Australia burns, experts available to discuss lasting impacts on wildlife, human health
Two dozen people and an estimated 480 million animals have been killed in Australia during unprecedented early-season bushfires that have scorched 18 million acres, destroyed thousands of homes and shrouded cities in thick smoke. University of Colorado Boulder experts are…
Reducing Wildfire Risks for Better Management and Resource Allocation
As wildfires become deadlier, larger and more expensive, there is strong interest in better risk governance. Managing future wildfire risk requires an interface between human decision processes and knowledge about climate trends related to fire, as well as humans’ abilities to anticipate wildfire potential and mitigation approaches are critical. Several presentations at the 2019 Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Meeting will explore analyses of past fire seasons, projections for the future and approaches for decision making aimed at mitigating risk.
November Tip Sheet from Cedars-Sinai
Tips for this month include:
• More heart valve patients now are able to choose minimally invasive procedures instead of open heart surgery.
• Our experts tell how to protect your lungs during wildfire season.
• Cedars-Sinai scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index.
• 3D mammograms are becoming more popular and could save more lives.
• Men’s Health experts available to discuss “Movember” topics.
• Flu experts also available
California fires: Virginia Tech experts on wildfire, smoke, disaster response, post-disaster recovery
Virginia Tech offers several interview opportunities with experts in wildfires, smoke and the impacts on health, resources for optimal disaster response, along with disaster resilience and disaster recovery. Our on-campus broadcast studio is able to connect radio and television via…
UCLA expert available to discuss the stress, emotional trauma and psychological impact of the California wildfires
UCLA Health has an expert available to discuss ways to cope with the stress, trauma and psychological implications of the California wildfires. Emmanuel Maidenberg is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Jane and Terry Semel…
Protecting Your Lungs From Wildfire Smoke
Wildfires continue to burn throughout Southern California, forcing many people to evacuate their homes and workplaces. Even if you don’t live in an evacuation zone, smoke from the fires can pose a serious health risk.
Improving Indoor Air Quality During Wildfires
A Q&A with Berkeley Lab indoor air scientists on protecting homes, schools, and other buildings, from air pollution during wildfires.
Disaster research experts can comment on Los Angeles wildfires
Experts from the University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center can provide tips and analysis about evacuations and response related to the wildfires raging in Los Angeles. Tricia Wachtendorf: Evacuation decision-making, disaster response and coordination, disaster relief (donations) and logistics, volunteer and emergent efforts, social vulnerability. James Kendra: Disaster response,…
University of California, Irvine scientists available to speak about the impact of climate change on human health and wildfires
James Randerson, Chancellor’s Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, is a senior researcher on the impact of climate change on the ecology, particularly with regard to wildfires in important forest ecosystems. He was a senior…