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Land-Atmosphere Interaction Responses of Burn Scar Heat Islands: A Case Study of the 2018 Camp Fire
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DOI：10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0336.1.png)
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Abstract
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Wildfires can drastically alter land surface characteristics, leading to the formation of heat islands that influence local weather and atmospheric processes. This study presents a comprehensive satellite-based and numerical modeling analysis of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California. Key land surface variables-vegetation cover, albedo, land surface temperature, and roughness length-were significantly altered following the fire. Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model simulations show that while these changes led to a reduction in net radiation at the surface, they were accompanied by an increase in sensible heat flux. Simulations also show the burn scar causing increases in surface air temperature, decreases in dewpoint, strengthening of terrain-generated circulations, and local changes in clouds and rainfall. These findings highlight the need for postwildfire response and planning to consider changes in land-atmosphere interactions resulting from wildfire-driven alterations in land cover. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study shows that large wildfire events result in the formation of long-lasting burn scar heat islands. This occurs because changes in land surface properties alter the exchange of heat and moisture between the surface and the atmosphere, leading to increased heating and reduced moistening of the lower atmosphere. In turn, these changes affect local wind, cloud, and precipitation patterns that can persist well after the wildfire event. These effects can be especially long-lasting in regions with complex terrain, where wildfires more commonly occur in the United States. The study's methods and findings are critical for improving postfire planning and hazard mitigation, as well as for advancing understanding of the feedbacks between land-use and land-cover changes and local weather in fire-prone regions.
Keywords:
Atmosphere-land interaction
Mesoscale processes
Wildfires
Land use
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