Global analysis of radiative forcing from fire-induced shortwave albedo change

López-Saldaña, Gerardo; Bistinas, Ioannis; Pereira, José M. C.

doi:10.5194/bg-12-557-2015

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Scaling to the Earth's land surface, African fires contributed radiative forcing of 0.037 and 0.058 W m −2 for SSRF1 and SSRF2, respectively. These global estimated contributions are higher than the global mean radiative forcing due to fire of 0.028 W m −2 reported by López‐Saldaña et al [], whose estimate also includes negative forcing due to fire in boreal forests as well as fires in other regions of the world.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

{Δ A}_{1} = a_{f_t 1} - a_{f_t 0}

where a f _ t 0 is the value of albedo at the time of burn and a f _ t 1 is the next albedo value after the burn in the same year. The Δ A 1 is the conventional method for calculating fire‐induced albedo change, and it is commonly referred to as instantaneous albedo change [ Huang et al , ; Jin et al , ; Jin and Roy , ; López‐Saldaña et al , ]. The different temporal components of equation , and subsequent equations, are illustrated in Figure .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire‐induced albedo change and associated radiative forcing have started to attract the attention of ecologists, climatologists, and policy makers [ López‐Saldaña et al , ]. Recent studies show that in boreal forest, postfire albedo increases at weekly to yearly temporal scales and results in negative radiative forcing [ Flannigan et al , ; Huang et al , ; Jin et al , ; Lyons et al , ; Oris et al , ; Randerson et al , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies show that in boreal forest, postfire albedo increases at weekly to yearly temporal scales and results in negative radiative forcing [ Flannigan et al , ; Huang et al , ; Jin et al , ; Lyons et al , ; Oris et al , ; Randerson et al , ]. However, in dryland ecosystems such as savannas and grasslands, postfire albedo decreases and causes positive radiative forcing at weekly to yearly temporal scales [ Gatebe et al , ; Jin and Roy , ; López‐Saldaña et al , ]. In North American boreal forest the radiative forcing exerted by fire‐induced albedo change ranges between −4.5 W m −2 and −1.3 W m −2 [ Jin et al , ; Lyons et al , ], whereas in African and Australian savannas it has been reported to be between 0.1 W m −2 and 0.5 W m −2 [ Gatebe et al , ; Jin and Roy , ; Myhre et al , ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire‐induced albedo change and surface radiative forcing in sub‐Saharan Africa savanna ecosystems: Implications for the energy balance

2017

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Surface albedo is a critical parameter that controls surface energy balance. In dryland ecosystems, fires play a significant role in decreasing surface albedo, resulting in positive radiative forcing. Here we investigate the long‐term effect of fire on surface albedo. We devised a method to calculate short‐, medium‐, and long‐term effect of fire‐induced radiative forcing and their relative effects on energy balance. We used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data in our analysis, covering different vegetation classes in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Our analysis indicated that mean short‐term fire‐induced albedo change in SSA was −0.022, −0.035, and −0.041 for savannas, shrubland, and grasslands, respectively. At regional scale, mean fire‐induced albedo change in savannas was −0.018 and −0.024 for northern sub‐Saharan of Africa and the southern hemisphere Africa, respectively. The short‐term mean fire‐induced radiative forcing in burned areas in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) was 5.41 W m−2, which contributed continental and global radiative forcings of 0.25 and 0.058 W m−2, respectively. The impact of fire in surface albedo has long‐lasting effects that varies with vegetation type. The long‐term energetic effects of fire‐induced albedo change and associated radiative forcing were, on average, more than 19 times greater across SSA than the short‐term effects, suggesting that fires exerted far more radiative forcing than previously thought. Taking into account the actual duration of fire's effect on surface albedo, we conclude that the contribution of SSA fires, globally and throughout the year, is ~0.12 W m−2. These findings provide crucial information on possible impact of fire on regional climate variability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…

{Δ A}_{1} = a_{f_t 1} - a_{f_t 0}

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fire‐induced albedo change and surface radiative forcing in sub‐Saharan Africa savanna ecosystems: Implications for the energy balance

2017

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“…On the contrary, forest fires also alter the climate via biogeochemical processes, such as emissions of greenhouse gases, aerosols, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere or sequestration of carbon via post-fire regrowth of vegetation, but also through direct biophysical processes, such as changes in the absorption or redistribution of energy at Earth’s surface 1,13 . To understand climatic response, many studies have also investigated how fires have affected the radiative forcing (RF) at ecosystem to regional scales using observations 14–17 or at global scales using simulation models 18–20 . However, most studies focused on RF either from albedo-induced shortwave radiation change or greenhouse gas emissions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biophysical feedback of global forest fires on surface temperature

2019

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The biophysical feedbacks of forest fire on Earth’s surface radiative budget remain uncertain at the global scale. Using satellite observations, we show that fire-induced forest loss accounts for about 15% of global forest loss, mostly in northern high latitudes. Forest fire increases surface temperature by 0.15 K (0.12 to 0.19 K) one year following fire in burned area globally. In high-latitudes, the initial positive climate-fire feedback was mainly attributed to reduced evapotranspiration and sustained for approximately 5 years. Over longer-term (> 5 years), increases in albedo dominated the surface radiative budget resulting in a net cooling effect. In tropical regions, fire had a long-term weaker warming effect mainly due to reduced evaporative cooling. Globally, biophysical feedbacks of fire-induced surface warming one year after fire are equivalent to 62% of warming due to annual fire-related CO2 emissions. Our results suggest that changes in the severity and/or frequency of fire disturbance may have strong impacts on Earth’s surface radiative budget and climate, especially at high latitudes.

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