Large-scale, long-term estimates of stream length impacted by wildfire for the western US

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Auteurs principaux: Ball, Grady, Regier, Peter, González-Pinzón, Ricardo, Van Horn, David
Format: Dataset Open Access
Langue:en
Publié: PANGAEA 2021
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author Ball, Grady
Regier, Peter
González-Pinzón, Ricardo
Van Horn, David
author_facet Ball, Grady
Regier, Peter
González-Pinzón, Ricardo
Van Horn, David
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents Wildfires are increasing globally in frequency, severity, and extent, but their impact on aquatic ecosystems, and the resources they provide, remains unclear. Here, we combine remote sensing of burn perimeter and severity, in-situ water quality monitoring, and longitudinal modeling to create the first large-scale, long-term estimates of stream length impacted by wildfire for the western US. We found that wildfires directly impacted ~6% of the total stream length between 1984 and 2014, increasing at a rate of 342 km per year. When longitudinal propagation of water quality impacts was included, we estimated that wildfires affect 11% of total stream length. Our results indicate wildfire is one of the largest drivers of aquatic impairment, though it is not routinely reported by regulatory agencies, as fire impacts on aquatic systems remain poorly constrained. We identify three key actions to address this knowledge gap, and better understand the growing threat to stream ecosystems and associated water security/public health risks.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_931010
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2021
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Large-scale, long-term estimates of stream length impacted by wildfire for the western US
Ball, Grady
Regier, Peter
González-Pinzón, Ricardo
Van Horn, David
streams; Western_USA; wildfire
Wildfires are increasing globally in frequency, severity, and extent, but their impact on aquatic ecosystems, and the resources they provide, remains unclear. Here, we combine remote sensing of burn perimeter and severity, in-situ water quality monitoring, and longitudinal modeling to create the first large-scale, long-term estimates of stream length impacted by wildfire for the western US. We found that wildfires directly impacted ~6% of the total stream length between 1984 and 2014, increasing at a rate of 342 km per year. When longitudinal propagation of water quality impacts was included, we estimated that wildfires affect 11% of total stream length. Our results indicate wildfire is one of the largest drivers of aquatic impairment, though it is not routinely reported by regulatory agencies, as fire impacts on aquatic systems remain poorly constrained. We identify three key actions to address this knowledge gap, and better understand the growing threat to stream ecosystems and associated water security/public health risks.
title Large-scale, long-term estimates of stream length impacted by wildfire for the western US
topic streams; Western_USA; wildfire
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.931010