Rapid summer Russian Arctic sea-ice loss enhances the risk of recent Eastern Siberian wildfires

Binhe Luo, Dehai Luo (), Aiguo Dai, Cunde Xiao (), Ian Simmonds, Edward Hanna, James Overland, Jiaqi Shi, Xiaodan Chen, Yao Yao, Wansuo Duan, Yimin Liu, Qiang Zhang, Xiyan Xu, Yina Diao, Zhina Jiang and Tingting Gong
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Binhe Luo: Beijing Normal University
Dehai Luo: Chinese Academy of Science
Aiguo Dai: State University of New York
Cunde Xiao: Beijing Normal University
Ian Simmonds: University of Melbourne
Edward Hanna: University of Lincoln
James Overland: NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
Jiaqi Shi: Chinese Academy of Science
Xiaodan Chen: Fudan University
Yao Yao: Chinese Academy of Science
Wansuo Duan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yimin Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Qiang Zhang: Tsinghua University
Xiyan Xu: Chinese Academy of Science
Yina Diao: Ocean University of China
Zhina Jiang: Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences
Tingting Gong: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract In recent decades boreal wildfires have occurred frequently over eastern Siberia, leading to increased emissions of carbon dioxide and pollutants. However, it is unclear what factors have contributed to recent increases in these wildfires. Here, using the data we show that background eastern Siberian Arctic warming (BAW) related to summer Russian Arctic sea-ice decline accounts for ~79% of the increase in summer vapor pressure deficit (VPD) that controls wildfires over eastern Siberia over 2004-2021 with the remaining ~21% related to internal atmospheric variability associated with changes in Siberian blocking events. We further demonstrate that Siberian blocking events are occurring at higher latitudes, are more persistent and have larger zonal scales and slower decay due to smaller meridional potential vorticity gradients caused by stronger BAW under lower sea-ice. These changes lead to more persistent, widespread and intense high-latitude warming and VPD, thus contributing to recent increases in eastern Siberian high-latitude wildfires.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49677-0

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