Drought threat to terrestrial gross primary production exacerbated by wildfires
This article looks at how frequent drought situations have resulted into increased incidence of burning forests and their ultimate effects on land ecosystems around the world. Drought and wildfire interactions are well known but the way they combine to affect vegetation growth is not properly known. Using satellite information gathered between the years 2002 up to 2020, this research shows that there is an affirmative factual relationship between fires and dry seasons showing their space distribution as well as time pattern.
There is an increased likelihood of experiencing these compound events in about 38.6% of vegetated areas around the world. Recurrent droughts in the Northern hemisphere make this trend significantly visible. Furthermore, compound drought-wildfire events lead to more than twice the severity level of decline in gross primary production (GPP) compared to isolated droughts. This therefore calls for a better grasp of and mitigating against the risks associated with compound events, providing valuable insights for future climate action and ecosystem management strategies.
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