University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers will play a big role in 3 newly funded climate change and wildfire studies. Alaska Fire Science Consortium ecologist Randi Jandt said teams that include UAF based and trained researchers will focus on implications of increasing warmth and fire activity from a cross disciplinary perspective.
“It’s often difficult to join up the world of research and academia with the world of actual on the ground fire management,” Jandt said.
One of the nationally funded research projects will employ computer modelling to better anticipate and address peak fire activity.
“When we get those really big years – like last year was a good example – it really strains and limits available resources for fire management,” said Jandt.
Another study focuses on improving fire weather forecasting.
“Especially the focus on some areas that have been slippery and hard to pin down before which would include lightning,” Jandt said. “Besides the forecasting, lightning storms is in the really early stages.”
The 3rd study will consider broad ranging impacts of more tundra fires on the North Slope.
“Such as permafrost thaw which could affect infrastructure and plant succession and therefore habitat for the wildlife,” said Jandt. “And then there’s the whole carbon question.”
Funding for the studies comes from nearly a million dollars in grants from the National Joint Fire Science Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
