Relationship Between Wildfires and Flooding in the Western United States
In: 2023 Symposium, 2023
academicJournal
Zugriff:
As wildfires have increased in magnitude and frequency across the western United States, flood frequency and magnitude have also increased. In forest environments, the soil is typically extremely absorbent, so it is useful for flood protection. But after a high intensity fire burns through a wooded area, it leaves behind charred, hardened soil that is unable to absorb the same quantity of water, creating prime conditions for flooding and debris flows. According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), in the Western U.S. annual forest fire area has increased by more than 1,100% from 1984 to 2020 (Williams et al., 2022). Areas where over 20% of forest area burned in a year, local streamflow increased by an average of 30% over a period of 6 years. While increased streamflow may seem helpful for increasing water supply, it can actually be destructive according to Park Williams (one of the co-authors in the PNAS study) in an article in Smart Water Magazine. With such extreme increases, reservoirs, dams, and other infrastructure can be overwhelmed, leading to an increased risk of catastrophic floods and mudflows. I will discuss these and other issues related to the connection between wildfires and flooding.
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Relationship Between Wildfires and Flooding in the Western United States
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Autor/in / Beteiligte Person: | Smith, Annika |
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Zeitschrift: | 2023 Symposium, 2023 |
Veröffentlichung: | EWU Digital Commons, 2023 |
Medientyp: | academicJournal |
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