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Climatologists from the VU University in Amsterdam have discovered a rather peculiar phenomenon in the fires in Alaska and other areas in the north.
They found that some fires, which start in hot summers, can burn underground during winter. Even under a thick layer of snow at temperatures as low as -40 degrees. “When the hot, dry weather returns in spring, they flare up again. Because of this “resurrection from the dead”, these fires are also called “zombie fires”. Due to climate change, this bizarre phenomenon seems to be happening more and more, ”say the researchers.
They found that “hibernation fires” mainly occur in carbon-rich peat soils that have been deeply burned. “We also see a clear relationship between hot summers, which create large and intense fires, and the number of fires that manage to hibernate afterwards,” says the university.
The study combined field data with satellite images to identify wintering fires. Although these fires remain invisible to satellites in winter because they smolder underground, they are observable where they erupt above ground in the spring. The researchers devised an algorithm with which they can now clearly distinguish between a hibernating fire and a new “normal” fire caused by lightning or human action.
The research was published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature.
They found that some fires, which start in hot summers, can burn underground during winter. Even under a thick layer of snow at temperatures as low as -40 degrees. “When the hot, dry weather returns in spring, they flare up again. Because of this “resurrection from the dead”, these fires are also called “zombie fires”. Due to climate change, this bizarre phenomenon seems to be happening more and more, ”say the researchers. They found that “hibernation fires” mainly occur in carbon-rich peat soils that have been deeply burned. “We also see a clear relationship between hot summers, which create large and intense fires, and the number of fires that manage to hibernate afterwards,” says the university. The study combined field data with satellite images to identify wintering fires. Although these fires remain invisible to satellites in winter because they smolder underground, they are observable where they erupt above ground in the spring. The researchers devised an algorithm with which they can now clearly distinguish between a hibernating fire and a new “normal” fire caused by lightning or human action. The research was published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature.
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