2017 second-worst B.C. wildfire season on record
2017 second-worst B.C. wildfire season on record
03 August 2017
published by https://www.surreynowleader.com
Canada – The 2017 wildfire season is now the second worst in B.C. since records began, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Since April 1, 491,000 hectares have burned across the province, sending this season over the 483,000 hectares burned in 1961. Only 1958 was even worse 855,000 hectares burned that year.
As of Thursday afternoon, 126 fires were currently burning in B.C. Eight of those started on Wednesday, for a total of 861 fires in B.C. since April 1.
Firefighting efforts have cost the province $204 million to date.
Emergency Management BC executive director Chris Duffy said that 6,700 people remain under evacuation orders, while 24,800 are under evacuation alerts.
Chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek called the past month unprecedented in terms of new fires, aggressive fire behaviour and hot conditions. In early July, the province saw more than 200 fires start in about 48 hours.
We are only in early August at this point so this season is far from over, said Skrepnek. August is unfortunately typically one of our busiest months. This current situation could get worse before it gets better.
RELATED: B.C. wildfire crews prepare for scorching August
The forecast still isnt looking good, he said. Hot, dry and slightly windy conditions are expected to continue for the Cariboo and the southern parts of the province.
Temperatures are expected to ease a little bit after today, but its still in the mid-30s for many parts of B.C. he said.
More on controlled burn that went out of control
Skrepnek continued to take questions from reporters on his daily update about a controlled burn near 20 Mile Ranch and Clinton, near Cache Creek, going horribly wrong, as one resident put it.
He said controlled burns remain the best way to fight large, aggressive fires.
VIDEO: Clinton-area residents say controlled burn went horribly wrong
This was an unfortunate turn of the weather, said Skrepnek. The fact that this happened is a bit of an aberration.
He said acknowledged the back burn, which caused the fire to jump west over Hwy. 97, has increased the size of that fire.
To be frank, this is an active fire, he said. If we hadnt taken action, it likely would have gone into this area regardless.
An international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.
Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heighteneddrought conditions and an increase inwildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.
“Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe,” says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. “By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences.”
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-atlanticpacific-ocean-temperature-difference-fuels.html#jCpAn international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.
Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heighteneddrought conditions and an increase inwildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.
“Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe,” says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. “By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences.”
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-atlanticpacific-ocean-temperature-difference-fuels.html#jCp
