Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C520712/1
Spatio-temporal characterisation of boreal forest fire intensity dynamics and its impact on carbon flux estimation.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor MJ Wooster, King's College London, Geography
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor H Balzter, University of Leicester, Sch of Geog, Geol & the Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr J Kaduk, University of Leicester, Sch of Geog, Geol & the Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr F Gerard, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Hydro-climate Risks
- Grant held at:
- King's College London, Geography
- Science Area:
- Terrestrial
- Atmospheric
- Overall Classification:
- Terrestrial
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Science Topics:
- Earth Surface Processes
- Land - Atmosphere Interactions
- Radiative Processes & Effects
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Abstract:
- The boreal region represents one third of the total global forested area, and is the largest terrestrial carbon store with around 30% of global terrestrial carbon. Seventy percent of boreal forest lies within Russia and twenty five percent in north America (Canada/Alaska). Forest fires are the boreal regions most dynamic disturbance factor and annually release large amounts of stored carbon to the atmosphere. The boreal region differs from many other fire-affected environments because burning of the carbon-rich organic soils represents a release of carbon in addition to that from burning of vegetation. Climate change is expected to be most significant at higher latitudes, resulting in significant boreal region warming, and this is expected to lead to notable increases in fire activity. The boreal zone may become a net carbon source rather than a carbon sink, and there is evidence that the Canadian forest may have already made this transition. Critical to calculating both direct and longer-term fire-related perturbations to boreal carbon storage is knowledge of fire intensity and/or type, since this ranges from superficial surface fires to devastating crown fires. The fire intensity exerts a major control on the forest fire 'damage', the fraction of available fuel-load combusted, and patterns of post-fire regrowth. These variables are currently driven by model-based assessments of often-uncertain accuracy, introducing large uncertainties to current carbon flux calculations. We will develop and validate a new remote sensing approach to providing observational assessments of forest fire intensity variations, and direct estimates of the carbon flux release during fire. The new approach will use observation of the radiative energy emission from fires, made from low earth orbit using satellite-based sensors. We will applying this methodology to major fire-affected regions of the boreal ecosystem, to answer key questions about boreal fires, carbon fluxes and stores. The Mauna Loa observatory has recorded atmospheric CO2 concentrations since 1958, and these data indicate that in recent decades atm. CO2 increased on average by 1.5 parts per million per year (ppm/y), but 2002/03 showed the first increase in excess of 2 ppm/y for two consecutive years. All previous increases in excess of 2 ppm/y have occurred in single years only, and all have been related to El Nino/Southern Oscillation events. ENSO alone cannot explain the 2002/03 anomaly, and it has been suggested that increases in northern hemisphere forest fire activity, related to unusually high summer temperatures, could be a significant contributor. Our project will significantly improve insight into the northern hemisphere fire regime, leading to more realistic carbon flux quantification in the boreal biome and subsequently to a better quantitative understanding of the role of boreal forest fires in the global atmospheric carbon record.
- Period of Award:
- 15 Sep 2005 - 14 Sep 2009
- Value:
- £197,178 Lead Split Award
Authorised funds only
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C520712/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Standard Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Standard Grant
This grant award has a total value of £197,178
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs | Total - Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £29,464 | £79,349 | £20,967 | £53,061 | £14,336 |
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