Scientists' warning on extreme wildfire risks to water supply.

Autor: Robinne FN; Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada., Hallema DW; Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA., Bladon KD; Department of Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA., Flannigan MD; Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada., Boisramé G; Division of Hydrologic Sciences Desert Research Institute Las Vegas Nevada USA., Bréthaut CM; Institute for Environmental Sciences University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland., Doerr SH; Geography and Biosciences Departments, College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK., Di Baldassarre G; Department of Earth Sciences Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden., Gallagher LA; UNEP/GRID-Geneva Geneva Switzerland., Hohner AK; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Washington State University Pullman Washington USA., Khan SJ; School of Civil & Environmental Engineering University of New South Wales Kensington New South Wales Australia., Kinoshita AM; Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering San Diego State University San Diego California USA., Mordecai R; South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative United States Fish and Wildlife Service Raleigh North Carolina USA.; CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa Lisbon Portugal., Nunes JP; Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University Wageningen the Netherlands., Nyman P; Alluvium Consulting Australia Cremorne Victoria Australia., Santín C; Geography and Biosciences Departments, College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK., Sheridan G; School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia., Stoof CR; Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University Wageningen the Netherlands., Thompson MP; Rocky Mountain Research Station, Human Dimensions USDA Forest Service Fort Collins Colorado USA., Waddington JM; School of Earth, Environment & Society McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada., Wei Y; Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Hydrological processes [Hydrol Process] 2021 May; Vol. 35 (5), pp. e14086. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 May 16.
DOI: 10.1002/hyp.14086
Abstrakt: 2020 is the year of wildfire records. California experienced its three largest fires early in its fire season. The Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet, burned over 20% of its surface. More than 18 million hectares of forest and bushland burned during the 2019-2020 fire season in Australia, killing 33 people, destroying nearly 2500 homes, and endangering many endemic species. The direct cost of damages is being counted in dozens of billion dollars, but the indirect costs on water-related ecosystem services and benefits could be equally expensive, with impacts lasting for decades. In Australia, the extreme precipitation ("200 mm day -1 in several location") that interrupted the catastrophic wildfire season triggered a series of watershed effects from headwaters to areas downstream. The increased runoff and erosion from burned areas disrupted water supplies in several locations. These post-fire watershed hazards via source water contamination, flash floods, and mudslides can represent substantial, systemic long-term risks to drinking water production, aquatic life, and socio-economic activity. Scenarios similar to the recent event in Australia are now predicted to unfold in the Western USA. This is a new reality that societies will have to live with as uncharted fire activity, water crises, and widespread human footprint collide all-around of the world. Therefore, we advocate for a more proactive approach to wildfire-watershed risk governance in an effort to advance and protect water security. We also argue that there is no easy solution to reducing this risk and that investments in both green (i.e., natural) and grey (i.e., built) infrastructure will be necessary. Further, we propose strategies to combine modern data analytics with existing tools for use by water and land managers worldwide to leverage several decades worth of data and knowledge on post-fire hydrology.
(© 2021 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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