About Boreal Blaze
Forest fires have become more intense, more frequent and more extensive in several areas, with global warming as one contributing factor. A new research project, led by CICERO, will examine how forest fires near the Arctic will develop and affect the future climate. The aim is to contribute to improved projections of climate change and risk, for the high latitudes and globally, which is crucial for decision-makers who aim to secure the basis of life for people and nature.
The high northern latitudes have seen many record-breaking fires in boreal forests in recent years. Global warming is driving an increase in the weather conditions associated with high fire risk. At the same time, forest fires can contribute to intensifying climate change. Forests and climate are closely linked. Warmer and drier weather combined with strong winds lead to sparks that increasingly set off fires that get out of control. Climate change can also affect the occurrence of lightning strikes, which in some areas is a main fire trigger. But fires can also affect the climate. When forests burn, it affects, among other things, carbon uptake and how the heat from the sun is absorbed. Forest fires also release large amounts of greenhouse gases, such as co₂, and particles into the air.
Fires that occur north of 60 degrees have special characteristics that can make the climate impact unique and different from fires elsewhere in the world. This includes the time of year the fires occur, the composition of gases and particles in the smoke and the proximity to snow- and ice-covered areas. Currently significant gaps remain in the knowledge about how forest fires in the north can be expected to change and the entailing climate consequences. The BorealBlaze research project brings together some of the world's leading experts on climate models, aerosols, the carbon cycle and boreal forest fires to fill this knowledge gap.