by Sangeeta Deogawanka

Created on: April 25, 2009   Last Updated: May 07, 2009

Wildfires have historically been viewed as unstructured fires occurring in the wilderness, forest and arid zones, causing massive destruction to life, property and natural vegetation. However, they are also an important part of the carbon and climatic cycles. Though taken in isolation, each conflagration can cause massive human, economic and natural devastation, but in broader perspective a wildfire wields a much larger force. According to David Bowman, a professor of forest ecology at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia, "Fire is a feature of our planet. High levels of fire activity have the capacity to change climate".

As wildfires are getting larger and stronger across the globe with an increasing incidence of mega-fires, scientists are now calling for an inclusion of "fires" in the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models. For such large-scale wildfires can also pose a risk of upsetting new carbon trading schemes because of their capacity to release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS of wildfires are finally being taken seriously.

The landmark report published in SCIENCE on April 24th, 2009, is the concerted effort of 22 scientists from a range of disciplines and countries to better understand the global impact of wildfires. It examines how wildfires are contributing to the overall global warming trend much more than imagined and thereby exacerbating conditions for a greater incidence of wildfires in the years to come.

EFFECTS OF WILDFIRES

Wildfires have always posed a threat. In recent years, studies have revealed that the effects of wildfires are increasingly having long-term ramifications. These secondary effects of wildfires affect both the biome and the environment. Amongst them, the more widespread and long-term effects of wildfires are the atmospheric effects, which may not be as readily visible, but are nevertheless, catastrophic.

As air gets heated and rises, large wildfires can create powerful updrafts that draw air from surrounding areas. Great vertical differences in temperature and humidity can also cause immediate extreme weather conditions. These are not just formation of pro-cumulonimbus clouds, but also intense winds exceeding even 50 miles and hour and extreme fire conditions of prolific crowning or spotting, fire swirls, rapid and wide spreads.

ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS OF WILDFIRES

Wildfires are influencing the global ecosystem patterns, like vegetation distribution,

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