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Fire climate interactions on the American Pacific Coast. ACRE workshop Meteoswiss, June 24 2008. Valérie Trouet A.H. Taylor, A.M. Carleton, C.N. Skinner. Fire. Fire Environment Varies in Time and Space. Weather Wind Humidity Drought. Fuels - Vegetation Canopy - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Fire climate interactions on the American Pacific Coast
ACRE workshop
Meteoswiss, June 24 2008
Valérie Trouet
A.H. Taylor, A.M. Carleton, C.N. Skinner
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
1915 1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995
Millions of Hectares
From: Arno & Allison-Bunnell 2002From: Arno & Allison-Bunnell 2002
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
1915 1925 1935 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995
Millions of Hectares
From: Arno & Allison-Bunnell 2002From: Arno & Allison-Bunnell 2002
Fire
Fire EnvironmentVaries in Time and Space
Fuels - Vegetation Canopy Surface Ground
Weather Wind HumidityDrought
Landform – Terrain Slope Aspect, Elevation, Hill - Slope - Drainage
FireEnvironment
FireEffects
Fire weather indicesFire growth potential, fire risk
Fire weather indicesFire growth potential, fire risk
ERC
• Fuel moisture
• NFDRS
• 19 (CA) + 14 (OR) RAWS
• 1973-2005
• fire season (July-Sep)
Haines Index
• range 2 – 6
• NCEP/NCAR (2.5°)
• daily (0000 UTC)
• 1961-2000Winkler et al. IJWF 2007
Haines Index climatology
Winkler et al. IJWF 2007
Mediterranean Climate AreaOregon and northern California
Trouet et al. GRL 2006
Interannual variability HI
HI, ERC vs. annual area burned
AAB Annual Winter Spring Summer FallFire
season
HI OR 0.58* 0.15 0.46* 0.39* -0.21 0.54*
CA 0.41* 0.15 0.36* 0.35* 0.03 0.41*
Days ≥ 5 OR 0.56* -0.02 0.36* 0.48* 0.01 0.56*
CA 0.39* 0.05 0.38* 0.35* 0.22 0.42*
Days ≤ 3 OR -0.6* -0.15 -0.45* -0.39* 0.12 -0.53*
CA -0.4* -0.14 -0.34* -0.35* -0.06 -0.4*
ERC OR 0.4*
CA 0.38*
HI, ERC vs. annual area burned
Trouet et al. TAC 2008
Temperature
HI
ERC
Precipitation
High Low
HI
ERC
Pacific North American (PNA) pattern
Pacific North American (PNA) pattern
Winter PNA –
summer fire weather
Conclusions
Severe fire weather years
• strong regional signal
• ~ widespread forest fires
• ~ synoptic scale circulation patterns
particularly PNA
Fire Scar Network
Fire Regimes and Climatic Variability in
the Mediterranean-Climate Areas of
California, Southwestern Oregon,
and Western Nevada
Fire Regimes and Climatic Variability in
the Mediterranean-Climate Areas of
California, Southwestern Oregon,
and Western Nevada
Fire regime reconstruction
1889 LW1879ME
1854 LE 1840 D
1828 D 1821 LE
1809 D 1799 D1793 D
1787 LW1781 ME
1775 D1771 D
1765 LW
Fire regime reconstruction
1500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 11500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000900 1950 20001500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 11500 1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000900 1950 2000
Airborne Research & Survey Facility
