Large wildfires may be generating weather conditions that favor more fires. The author of a new study suggests more prescribed burns might help prevent giant future fires.

What's happening?

A new study found that large wildfires are creating conditions more conducive for more fires to form. From the wildfires the study analyzed, soot traps heat because the black carbon is dark and absorbs sunlight. This additional heat drops humidity in the atmosphere, thereby making it harder for clouds to develop.

"I wanted to learn how the weather is affected by aerosols emitted by wildfires as they're burning," said James Gomez, the lead author of the study, per Phys.org. "What I found is that the black carbon emitted from these California wildfires is not increasing the number of clouds. It's hydrophobic. It appears these fires are creating their own fire weather." 

The scientists behind the study looked at pollution on peak fire days over the past two decades. Their findings were published in the scientific journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Why are the findings in this study important?

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, in the middle of July, over 60 large wildfires were burning nationwide. The fires have burned over 1.2 million acres. 

California has been particularly hard-hit this year. Nearly 20 times more acres have burned compared to the same time last year in the state. Through early July, over 200,000 acres had been burned. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that an average of 39,000 acres burned through mid-July.

A new study found that extreme wildfires have more than doubled in the last 20 years. A NASA analysis of more than 40,000 fires found that over the past six decades, there has been a steady increase in western wildfires and that 61% of them have occurred since 2000.

NASA also found the number of megafires — fires that burn over 100,000 acres — has risen in the past two decades. They couldn't find any documentation of megafires before 1970.

While animal habitats and land are being destroyed by the fires, humans exposed to wildfire smoke are also feeling the effects. One study suggests that breathing in the smoke can be equivalent to smoking almost half a pack of cigarettes a day. 

In addition to the dangerous effects on air quality that come with wildfires, some homeowners are also struggling to find insurance coverage in areas where wildfires are becoming common. 

What can be done about wildfires?

Gomez and his colleagues concluded from their study that California needs to allow more frequent small fires to reduce the fuel available for larger fires. "With more forest management and more prescribed burns, we could have fewer giant fires," according to Gomez, per Phys.org. "That is in our control."

Reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases being released into our atmosphere by finding alternatives to dirty energy sources can help cool the planet and reduce wildfires. Doing things such as installing a heat pump or solar panels can not only slash bills but also limit planet-warming gases entering the atmosphere.

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