Wildfires today burn twice as much tree cover worldwide as they did 20 years ago.
More than 22.9 million acres of tree cover were lost globally in 2021 due to wildfires compared to 11.9 million acres lost in 2003, according to figures from the World Resources Institute.
Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have resulted in extreme temperatures and drought conditions worldwide, providing the perfect proving ground for fires that burn longer and span further.
Immediate impacts of these farther-reaching wildfires are easily visible to the naked eye: loss of ecosystems, destruction of homes and other structures, and worsening air quality due to wildfire smoke. But what about the impacts not seen with the naked eye? That is exactly what researchers at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) are trying to get to the bottom of.
Read the web feature about EMSL staff and user scientists who are conducting this research.
Read the full transcript of the EMSL Podcast “Bonding Over Science” on the EMSL website.
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