Pacific‐Atlantic Ocean influence on wildfires in northeast China (1774 to 2010)

Abstract

Identification of effects that climate teleconnections, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have on wildfires is difficult because of short and incomplete records in many areas of the world. We developed the first multicentury wildfire chronologies for northeast China from fire‐scarred trees. Regional wildfires occurred every 7 years from the 1700s to 1947, after which fire suppression policies were implemented. Regional wildfires occurred predominately during drought years and were associated with positive phases of ENSO and PDO and negative NAO. Twentieth century meteorological records show that this contingent combination of +ENSO/+PDO/−NAO is linked to low humidity, low precipitation, and high temperature during or before late spring fire seasons. Climate and wildfires in northeast China may be predictable based on teleconnection phases, although future wildfires may be more severe due to effects of climate change and the legacy of fire suppression.

Spatio‐temporal pattern of meteorological droughts and its possible linkage with climate variability

“…The findings were consistent with the reported relationships between climate indices and seasonal precipitation over the Yangtze River basin (Zhang et al ., ; Xiao et al ., ). Global climate has its own cool and warm phases (Shelton, ), and the climate anomalies produce substantial influences on regional dry/wet alternations (Feng et al ., ; Zhang et al ., ; Xiao et al ., ; Yao et al ., ). Our regression analysis confirmed the combined effects from the climate anomalies on the Asian monsoonal systems (Chan and Zhou, ; Chen et al ., ; Feng et al ., ).…”

Southern Annular Mode drives multicentury wildfire activity in southern South America

“…Our rationale is that at the regional and subcontinental scales, high synchrony indicates a strong influence of climatic variations on fire (19), and that overall high fire activity could have a strong association with climate variability (19)(20)(21) as well as with changes in ignition owing to either natural (22) or human (23)(24)(25) causes.…”

Response of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongolica</i> to water change and drought history reconstruction in the past 260 years, northeast China

“…Two regional forest fire chronologies (Mengkeshan and Pangu) reconstructed by tree-ring scars in nearby forests were used (Yao et al, 2017). The SEA was carried out using the software package FHAES V2.0.0 (https: //www.frames.gov/partner-sites/fhaes/download-fhaes/, last access: 5 March 2016).…”

“…In addition, drought in the Daxing'an Mountains, especially in spring or early summer, often leads to a high risk of forest wildfires and increases the occurrence of large wildfires (Sun, 2007). The fire caused by drought in the northern Daxing'an Mountains in May 1987 killed over 200 people and burned ∼ 17 000 km 2 of land (Sun, 2007;Yao et al, 2017).…”