‘Zombie fires’ in the Arctic: Canada’s extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future

Source: The post is based on the article “‘Zombie fires’ in the Arctic: Canada’s extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future”  published in Down To Earth on 19th July 2023

What is the News?

Due to rise in global temperature, fires are spreading farther north and into the Arctic, leading to a rise in “zombie fires”

What are Zombie Fires?

Zombie fires are fires that seem to come back from the dead.

After a wildfire has been extinguished on the surface, some of it can still burn belowground in secret, fuelled by peat and methane.

These fires can continue to burn all through winter, hidden under a layer of snow, and in spring as the temperature rises, the snow melts and the soil dries out, the wildfires can re-ignite and spread once again.

Why are  Zombie Fires occurring in the Arctic region?

Wildfires have been a natural part of northern forest and tundra ecosystems for thousands of years. 

However, the severity, frequency and types of wildfires in northern and Arctic regions have changed in recent decades.

One major reason for this is the rising temperature: The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the world, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification.

This rise in temperature brings with it a number of changes to the environment that make the forest and tundra more susceptible to burning for longer.

Why is Zombie Fires a concern for the Arctic region?

Firstly, as the organic-rich Arctic soils dry up because of changing climate conditions, they can burn slowly and release vast amounts of smoke into the atmosphere.

Secondly, fires that spread underground are harder for firefighters to tame and extinguish, thus demanding more resources for longer periods of time.

Finally, these zombie fires don’t die easily. Recent research finds that Arctic fires can smolder through the winter and reignite during early spring when temperatures rise.