Positive feedback to regional climate enhances African wildfires

Abstract

Regional climate strongly regulates the occurrence of wildfires partly because drying of fuel load increases fires. The large amounts of aerosols released by wildfires can also strongly affect regional climate. Here we show positive feedback (a seasonal burned area enhancement of 7-17%) due to wildfire aerosol forcing in Africa found in the simulations using the interactive REgion-Specific ecosystem feedback Fire (RESFire) model in the Community Earth System Model (CESM). The positive feedback results partly from the transport of fire aerosols from burning (dry) to wet regions, reducing precipitation and drying fuel load to enhance fires toward the non-burning (wet) region. This internally self-enhanced burning is an important mechanism for the regulation of African ecosystems and for understanding African fire behaviors in a changing climate. A similar mechanism may also help sustain wildfires in other tropical regions.