Strong winds drive grassland fires in China

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15549344
AutoresZhou Wang (0000-0002-3616-4029), Ru Huang (0000-0002-5124-1950), Qichao Yao (0000-0002-9945-5165, autor de correspondencia), Xuezheng Zong (0000-0002-6653-2742, Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection), Xiaorui Tian (Chinese Academy of Forestry), Ben Zheng (Colorado State University), Valerie Trouet (0000-0002-2683-8704, University of Arizona)
Año2022
Volumen18
Número1
Páginas015005-015005
Fecha de publicación2022-12-07
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEnvironmental Research Letters (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326
EditorialIOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1088/1748-9326/aca921
OpenAlexW4311700789
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas41

Accounting for 41.7% of China’s total land area, grasslands are linked to the livelihoods of over 20 million people. Although grassland fires cause severe damage in China every year, their spatiotemporal patterns and climate drivers are not well understood. In this study, we used grassland fire record forms provided by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and grassland fire location data from the Wildfire Atlas of China to examine the spatiotemporal patterns and and seasonality of fires in China for the period from 2008 to 2020. We found that most grassland fires occurred in Inner Mongolia in northern China, specifically in the Hulun Buir and Xilingol grasslands. We found distinct differences in fire seasonality in northern China, which has a major fire season in April, versus southwestern China, where the major fire season occurs in February, March and April. April grassland fires in northern China are the result of strong winds, typically from the west, and spring drought. A secondary fire season in northern China occurs in October and is also driven by strong winds. The fire season in southwestern China seems to be less shaped by climatic factors such as wind speed, precipitation, and drought. This study provides support for decision-making by fire prevention and fire management authorities in China

Agroforestry · China · Climatology · Geography · Grassland · Meteorology · Physical geography · Precipitation · Seasonality · Environmental Science · Fire effects on ecosystems · Plant responses to water stress · Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics · Ecology · Forestry · Geology