Drivers and implications of the extreme 2022 wildfire season in Southwest Europe

Rodrígues, Marcos; Camprubí, Àngel Cunill; Balaguer‐Romano, Rodrigo; Megía, Celso J. Coco; Castañares, Francisco; Ruffault, Julien; Fernandes, Paulo; Dios, Víctor Resco de

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160320

Cited by 79 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, temperate forests in Europe are less prone to fires due to their humid and mild climate conditions, and consequently, receiving less attention by the fire science community (Zin et al, 2022). However, the 2022 fire season in Europe was particularly out-of-the-norm compared to previous decades, characterized by a severe drought and heatwaves leading to numerous extreme fire events and widespread burned areas throughout the western part of the continent (Rodrigues et al, 2023). For instance, in Spain, the burned area in 2022 was estimated to be over 300,000 hectares compared to an average of 64,000 ha.yr-1 over the 2008-2021 period according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High resolution data reveal a surge of biomass loss from temperate and Atlantic pine forests, seizing the 2022 fire season distinctiveness in France

Vallet

Schwartz

Ciais

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The frequency and intensity of summer droughts and heat waves in Western Europe have been increasing, raising concerns about the emergence of fire hazard in less fire prone areas. This exposure of old-growth forests hosting unadapted tree species may cause disproportionately large biomass losses compared to those observed in frequently burned Mediterranean ecosystems. Therefore, analyzing fire seasons from the perspective of exposed burned areas alone is insufficient, we must also consider impacts on biomass loss. In this study, we focus on the exceptional 2022 summer fire season in France and use very high-resolution (10 m) satellite data to calculate the burned area, tree height at the national level, and the subsequent ecological impact based on biomass loss during fires. Our high resolution semi-automated detection estimated 42,520 ha of burned area, compared to the 66,393 ha estimated by the European automated remote sensing detection system (EFFIS), including 48,330 ha actually occurring in forests. We show that Mediterranean forests had a lower biomass loss than in previous years, whereas there was a drastic increase in burned area and biomass loss over the Atlantic pine forests and temperate forests. High biomass losses in the Atlantic pine forests were driven by the large burned area (28,600 ha in 2022 vs. 494 ha yr−1 in 2006–2021 period) but mitigated by a low exposed tree biomass mostly located on intensive management areas. Conversely, biomass loss in temperate forests was abnormally high due to both a 15-fold increase in burned area compared to previous years (3,300 ha in 2022 vs. 216 ha in the 2006–2021 period) and a high tree biomass of the forests which burned. Overall, the biomass loss (i.e. wood biomass dry weight) was 0.25 Mt in Mediterranean forests and shrublands, 1.74 Mt in the Atlantic pine forest, and 0.57 Mt in temperate forests, amounting to a total loss of 2.553 Mt, equivalent to a 17 % increase of the average natural mortality of all French forests, as reported by the national inventory. A comparison of biomass loss between our estimates and global biomass/burned areas data indicates that higher resolution improves the identification of small fire patches, reduces the commission errors with a more accurate delineation of the perimeter of each fire, and increases the biomass affected. This study paves the way for the development of low-latency, high-accuracy assessment of biomass losses and fire patch contours to deliver a more informative impact-based characterization of each fire year.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High resolution data reveal a surge of biomass loss from temperate and Atlantic pine forests, seizing the 2022 fire season distinctiveness in France

Vallet

Schwartz

Ciais

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This region represents only 6% of the total surface area of Spain, however it encompassed 22.51% of the total burned area in Spain between 2006 and 2015 (Gobierno de España, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 2019). This trend has continued in subsequent years (López-Rodriguez et al, 2021; Consellería Do Medio Rural, 2022) with several large wild res and extensive burn areas reported (Rodrigues et al, 2023;Consellería Do Medio Rural, 2022). For this reason, improved wild re prevention plans are needed.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Large wild res are an increasingly frequent phenomenon across the globe 2018; Linley et al 2022). The 2017 and 2022 wild re seasons are examples of this trend (Nature, 2017; Rodrigues et al, 2023). In 2017, a total of 622,000 ha burned in Chile, Russia, the US, Canada, Greenland, and the Mediterranean (Nature, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational Fuel Models Map for Atlantic Landscapes Using ALS and Sentinel-2 Images

Solares-Canal

Alonso

Rincón

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: In the new era of extreme wildfire events, new fire prevention and extinction strategies are emerging using software that simulates fire behavior. Having updated fuel models maps is critical in order to obtain reasonable simulations. Previous studies have proven that remote sensing is a key tool for obtaining these maps. However, there are many environments where remote sensing has not yet been evaluated in an operational context. One of these contexts are Atlantic environments. In this study, we describe a remote-sensing-data-based methodology for obtaining an operational fuel models map for an Atlantic-vegetation-covered area in Galicia (Northwestern Spain). We used Sentinel-2 images and ALS (Aerial Laser Scanner) data. Results: We have developed a methodology that allows to objectify the fuel models mapping for this type of environments since. For that we obtained the correspondences between the vegetation of the area and Rothermel fuel models. Additionally, since the methodology relies in remote sensing data, it allows us to obtain upgradable fuel models maps. For the study area, we obtained a map with high accuracy metrics. The accuracy of the supervised classifications involved in the mapping ranges between 70% and 100% (user’s and producer’s accuracies). Conclusions: The obtained methodology and the upgradable fuel models map will help to improve fire prevention and suppression strategies in Atlantic landscapes, aiding to shift towards more modern fire-simulation-based mitigation strategies.

show abstract

“…Parts of Spain received less than 40% of normal rainfall (Figure 11). Sustained high temperatures and dry conditions also contributed to an extreme wildfire season in France, Spain and Portugal (Rodrigues et al, 2022). River flows in August were exceptionally low in the Rhine, Loire and Danube, affecting shipping.…”

Section: European and Uk Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Weather, Vol. 78, no. 12, December 2023, pp. 326‐352

2023

Weather

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Drivers and implications of the extreme 2022 wildfire season in Southwest Europe

Cited by 79 publications

References 29 publications

High resolution data reveal a surge of biomass loss from temperate and Atlantic pine forests, seizing the 2022 fire season distinctiveness in France

High resolution data reveal a surge of biomass loss from temperate and Atlantic pine forests, seizing the 2022 fire season distinctiveness in France

Operational Fuel Models Map for Atlantic Landscapes Using ALS and Sentinel-2 Images

Weather, Vol. 78, no. 12, December 2023, pp. 326‐352

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About