Large-scale climate patterns that can impact weather across thousands of kilometers may have a hand in synchronizing multicontinental droughts and stoking wildfires around the world, two new studies find.
These profound patterns, known as climate teleconnections, typically occur as recurring phases that can last from weeks to years. “They are a kind of complex butterfly effect, in that things that are occurring in one place have many derivatives very far away,” says Sergio de Miguel, an ecosystem scientist at Spain’s University of Lleida and the Joint Research Unit CTFC-Agrotecnio in Solsona, Spain.
Major droughts arise around the same time at drought hot spots around the world, and the world’s major climate teleconnections may be behind the synchronization, researchers report in one study. What’s more, these profound patterns may also regulate the scorching of more than half of the area burned on Earth each year, de Miguel and colleagues report in the other study.
The research could help countries around the world forecast and collaborate to deal with widespread drought and fires, researchers say.
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, is perhaps the most well-known climate teleconnection (SN: 8/21/19). ENSO entails phases during which weakened trade winds cause warm surface waters to amass in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, known as El Niño, and opposite phases of cooler tropical waters called La Niña.
2023-02-13 09:00:00
Article from www.sciencenews.org
The global climate is a complex system, with intricate connections between environment and energy fluxes connecting seemingly distinct parts of the Earth system. A growing body of evidence suggests that remote, intercontinental connections between droughts and wildfires may be elucidated through teleconnection, a phenomenon in which broad-scale climate phenomena are linked and transferred between continents. In particular, research focused on the interaction between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle and extreme weather events such as droughts is bringing us ever closer to a better understanding of intercontinental connections between droughts and wildfires.
Studies have shown that the impacts of ENSO may be felt around the world; for example, droughts induced by El Niño-driven atmospheric circulation patterns may be experienced thousands of miles away from the source. Similarly, an El Niño-driven warming of the Pacific Ocean has been linked to an increased risk of extreme wildfire activity in the western United States, indicating a potential intercontinental connection between California’s droughts and the wider ENSO cycle.
We may further investigate potential intercontinental connections between droughts and wildfires by examining the intensity and spatial extent of the ENSO–wildfire response. Analysis of surface temperature records, coupled with the principles of teleconnectivity, have been utilized to better understand the connections between ENSO atmospheric dynamics and wildfire response. Recently, researchers have looked at the relationship between the El Niño and subsequent wildfire activity, and have demonstrated the potential of this research to inform preparedness and response.
The evidence is mounting that climate teleconnections may play an important role in linking intercontinental weather and land cover phenomena. As such, further research into the role of ENSO and its connections with droughts and wildfire activity is of great importance. By delving deeper into the mechanisms, sources, and patterns of these intercontinental connections, we may better understand the complexities of large-scale climate dynamics and their impacts on ecosystems, economies, and societies across the globe.