“The long-term drought conditions will likely persist into summer and we’ll likely see a drought influenced summer wildfire setup this year.'
Like much of the West, California endured extreme drought conditions and another grueling fire season in 2021. The rainy season, however, got off to a promising start, with above-normal precipitation in October and December. But hopes of an end to the drought gripping most of the Western U.S., which scientists have linked to climate change, quickly evaporated as record dry conditions took hold in California in January and February.
A wind-driven fire burns in the hills above Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Feb. 10. defines VPD as “the difference between the water vapor pressure at saturation and the actual water vapor pressure for a given temperature, [and] is an important driver of atmospheric water demand for plants.”Vapor pressure deficits help explain why the risk of fire danger continues to grow in some parts of the world even though it’s also true that for every 1°C of warming, the Earth’s atmosphere holds 7 percent more moisture.
“The leading cause of the rapid increase of wildfires over the Western U.S. is the rapid increase of surface air vapor pressure deficit, or VPD, a measure of how thirsty the atmosphere is.” NOAA stated on its website. “When VPD is higher, the air is hot and dry and draws more moisture from soil and plants, which not only increases biofuel flammability, but also reduces river flows and reservoir levels.
What this means in places like California is that rain is not the only factor when it comes to wildfire danger.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Climate change causing widespread and irreversible impacts, says IPCCA new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says that some of the impacts of climate change are now irreversible and there are limits to how much humans can adapt to a warming world.
Read more »
World leaders face ‘rapidly closing window’ to avoid climate change’s worst outcomes, UN report saysClimate change is likely going to make the world sicker, hungrier and more dangerous in the next 18 years with an “unavoidable” increase in risks, a new United Nations science report says.
Read more »
Firefighters relying on artificial intelligence to fight California wildfiresThese type of tools will prove vital as climate change makes wildfires worse.
Read more »
Climate change won’t wait for future innovation — we need action nowGovernments must focus on solutions that are already working, even when they aren’t glamorous or supported by powerful lobbyists.
Read more »
Climate change could already be making you less healthy — and it'll likely get worse, says a new U.N. reportThe latest U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report identifies a variety of climate change-related health risks — and suggests they'll worsen without action.
Read more »
Latest U.N. Climate Report Says ‘Delay Means Death’The U.N.’s latest climate report surveys losses due to climate change but highlights bright spots (like Indigenous leadership) across regions.
Read more »