Arctic’s Boreal Forests Burning At ‘Unprecedented’ Rate

[GliderGuider]

Arctic’s Boreal Forests Burning At ‘Unprecedented’ Rate

In a sign of how swiftly and extensively climate change is reshaping the Arctic environment, a new study has found that the region’s mighty boreal forests — stands of mighty spruce, fir, and larch trees that serve as the gateway to the Arctic Circle — have been burning at an unprecedented rate during the past few decades. The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the boreal forests have not burned at today’s high rates for at least the past 10,000 years, and climate change projections show even more wildfire activity may be to come.

The study links the increase in fire activity to increased temperatures and drier conditions in the region, which is driving wholescale changes in the massive forests that encircle the northern portion of the globe.

Wildfire activity in the boreal forest biome, which is also known as taiga, plays a crucial role in the globe’s carbon budget, since these forests represent nearly 10 percent of the planet’s land surface and contain more than 30 percent of the carbon that is stored on land, in plants and soils. Globally, the boreal forest covers 6.41 million square miles, forming a ring along and just below the Arctic Circle.

Increased burning in recent years has meant that more stored carbon has been freed from these ecosystems, which acts as a feedback, leading to more global warming, and hence more wildfires. In addition, the black carbon, or soot, emitted from the fires can land on snow and ice in the Arctic, hastening melting.

[artislife]

1. sigh

[daleanime]

2. kick, kick, kick....

[pscot]

3. Do you know how this is affecting stream flows

in the Canadian Arctic? I found this mind blowing graphic for Alaska



and there's a study in progress of runoff in Asia. Runoff in Canadian rivers has to be dirtying up and heating up with the fires and all the heavy industry pounding away at The North. Canada must track stream flows and temperatures. That's basic hydrology, no?

[yuiyoshida]

4. pic

[NickB79]

5. Past the point of no return now

Yep.

[JDPriestly]

6. Really, really bad news.