Research article | Highlight paper |
| 20 Sep 2023
High-resolution data reveal a surge of biomass loss from temperate and Atlantic pine forests, contextualizing the 2022 fire season distinctiveness in France
Lilian Vallet,Martin Schwartz,Philippe Ciais,Dave van Wees,Aurelien de Truchis,and Florent Mouillot
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay,Chemin de Saint Aubin – RD 128, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay,Chemin de Saint Aubin – RD 128, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
The study covers a relevant contemporary topic (wildfire) and focusses on the recent major European summer of wildfires. The authors demonstrate that the assessment of burned area alone is not enough to fully characterize the impact of fires. Novel methods to assess burned area and above ground biomass losses are described to provide a more informative impact-based characterization of fires.
The study covers a relevant contemporary topic (wildfire) and focusses on the recent major...
This study analyzes the ecological impact of the 2022 summer fire season in France by using high-resolution satellite data. The total biomass loss was 2.553 Mt, equivalent to a 17 % increase of the average natural mortality of all French forests. While Mediterranean forests had a lower biomass loss, there was a drastic increase in burned area and biomass loss over the Atlantic pine forests and temperate forests. This result revisits the distinctiveness of the 2022 fire season.
This study analyzes the ecological impact of the 2022 summer fire season in France by using...