*
 

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry

*

Large wildland fires and extreme temperatures in Sardinia (Italy)

Adrian Cardil (1)   , Michele Salis (2-3), Donatella Spano (2-3), Giuseppe Delogu (4), Domingo Molina Terrén (1)

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 7, Issue 3, Pages 162-169 (2014)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1090-007
Published: Feb 14, 2014 - Copyright © 2014 SISEF

Research Articles


Heat-wave events are commonly recognized as adverse impacts on agriculture, forests, and economic activities. Several studies showed that future climate changes in the western Mediterranean Basin will lead to an increase in extreme weather events, mainly in the summer season. For this reason, it is crucial to improve our knowledge and investigate the effects of extreme temperature events on wildland fire activity. This work analyses the relation between high temperature days (air temperature higher than 25°C at 850hPa) and large wildland fires in Sardinia (Italy) during 1991-2009 period and the influence of high temperature days on large wildland fires was remarkable. The results showed that neither the number of fires nor the area burned decreased under high temperature days, although a decrease of both indicators was observed on the other days. Additionally, the average size of fires, the probability of large fire occurrence, the daily area burned and daily number of fires resulted higher in high temperature days.

  Keywords


Wildfires, Temperature, Extreme, Weather

Authors’ address

(1)
Adrian Cardil
Domingo Molina Terrén
School of Agrifood and Forestry Science and Engineering, University of Lleida, av.da Rovira Roure 191, E-25198 Lleida (Spain)
(2)
Michele Salis
Donatella Spano
Department of Science for Nature and Environmental Resources (DIPNET), University of Sassari (Italy)
(3)
Michele Salis
Donatella Spano
Euro Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), IAFENT Division, Sassari (Italy)
(4)
Giuseppe Delogu
Corpo Forestale e di Vigilanza Ambientale, Regione Sardegna, Cagliari (Italy)

Corresponding author

 
Adrian Cardil
adriancardil@gmail.com

Citation

Cardil A, Salis M, Spano D, Delogu G, Molina Terrén D (2014). Large wildland fires and extreme temperatures in Sardinia (Italy). iForest 7: 162-169. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1090-007

Academic Editor

Raffaele Lafortezza

Paper history

Received: Jul 27, 2013
Accepted: Oct 21, 2013

First online: Feb 14, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 02, 2014
Publication Time: 3.87 months

Breakdown by View Type

(Waiting for server response...)

Article Usage

Total Article Views: 27450
(from publication date up to now)

Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 21044
Abstract Page Views: 1070
PDF Downloads: 4004
Citation/Reference Downloads: 52
XML Downloads: 1280

Web Metrics
Days since publication: 3887
Overall contacts: 27450
Avg. contacts per week: 49.43

Article Citations

Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Nov 2020)

Total number of cites (since 2014): 24
Average cites per year: 3.43

 

Publication Metrics

by Dimensions ©

Articles citing this article

List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.

 
(1)
Ager AA, Finney M (2009)
Application of wildfire simulation models for risk analysis. Geophysical Research Abstracts 11: EGU2009-5489.
Gscholar
(2)
Ager AA, Vaillant N, Finney MA (2011)
Application of fire behavior models and geographic information systems for wildfire risk assessment and fuel management planning. Journal of Combustion 2011: 572452.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(3)
Arca B, Duce P, Laconi M, Pellizzaro G, Salis M, Spano D (2007)
Evaluation of FARSITE simulator in Mediterranean maquis. International Journal of Wildland Fire 16: 563-572.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(4)
Arca B, Pellizzaro G, Duce P, Salis M, Bacciu V, Spano D, Ager A, Finney M, Scoccimarro E (2012)
Potential changes in fire probability and severity under climate change scenarios in Mediterranean areas. In: “Modelling Fire Behaviour and Risk” (Spano D, Bacciu V, Salis M, Sirca C eds). NuovaStampacolor, Sassari, Italy, pp. 92-98.
Gscholar
(5)
Barriopedro D, Fischer EM, Luterbacher J, Trigo RM, García-Herrera R (2011)
The hot summer of 2010: redrawing the temperature record map of Europe. Science 332: 220-224.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(6)
Cardil A, Molina DM, Ramirez J, Vega-García C (2013)
Trends in adverse weather patterns and large wildland fires in Aragon (NE Spain) from 1978 to 2010. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 13: 1393-1399.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(7)
Charney JJ, Keyser D (2010)
Mesoscale model simulation of the meteorological conditions during the 2 June 2002 Double Trouble State Park wildfire. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19: 427-448.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(8)
CNFDB (2013)
Canadian National Fire Database. Web site.
Online | Gscholar
(9)
Cane D, Barbarino S, Renier L, Ronchi C (2012)
Detailed downscaling through ensemble techniques of the regional climate models for a fire weather indices projection in the Alpine region. In: “Modelling Fire Behaviour and Risk” (Spano D, Bacciu V, Salis M, Sirca C eds). NuovaStampacolor, Sassari, Italy, pp. 85-91.
Gscholar
(10)
Crimmins MA (2006)
Synoptic climatology of extreme fire-weather conditions across the southwest United States. International Journal of Climatology 26: 1001-1016.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(11)
Chessa PA, Delitala A (1997)
Il clima della Sardegna. In: “Collana Note Tecniche di Agrometeorologia per la Sardegna”. (Milella A ed). Sassari, Italy, pp. 17-38. [in Italian]
Gscholar
(12)
De Angelis A, Ricotta C, Bajocco S (2012)
Phenological variability drives the distribution of wildfires in Sardinia. Landscape Ecology 27: 1535-1545.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(13)
Farris CA, Pezeshk C, Neuenschwander LF (2000)
A comparaison of fire probability maps derived from GIS modeling and direct simulation technique. In: Proceedings the Joint Fire Science Conference and Workshop “Crossing the Millennium: Integrating Spatial Technologies and Ecological Principles for a New Age in Fire Management” (Neuenschwander LF, Ryan KC, Gollberg GE, Greer JD eds). Boise (Idaho - USA), 15-17 June 1999. University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, pp. 130-137.
Gscholar
(14)
García-Herrera R, Díaz J, Trigo RM, Hernández E (2005)
Extreme summer temperatures in Iberia: health impacts and associated synoptic conditions. Annales Geophysicae 23: 239-251.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(15)
García-Ortega E, Trobajo MT, López L, Sánchez JL (2011)
Synoptic patterns associated with wildfires caused by lightning in Castile and Leon, Spain. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 11: 851-863.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(16)
Flannigan MD, Stocks BJ, Wotton BM (2000)
Climate change and forest fires. Science of the Total Environment 262: 221-229.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(17)
Ganteaume A, Jappiot M (2012)
What causes large fires in southern France. Forest Ecology and Management 294: 76-85.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(18)
Giannakopoulos C, Le Sager P, Bindi M, Moriondo M, Kostopoulou, E, Goodess CM (2009)
Climatic changes and associated impacts in the Mediterranean resulting from a 2 °C global warming. Global Planet Change 68: 209-224.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(19)
IPCC (2007)
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climatic Change 2007.
Online | Gscholar
(20)
Kalnay E, Kanamitsu M, Kistler R, Collins W, Deaven D, Gandin L, Iredell M, Saha S, White G, Woollen J, Zhu Y, Chelliah M, Ebisuzaki W, Higgins W, Janowiak J, Mo KJ, Ropelewski C, Wang J, Leetmaa A, Reynolds R, Jenne R, Joseph D (1996)
The NCEP/NCAR 40-year reanalysis project. Bulletin of the American Meteorology Society 77: 437-471.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(21)
Kuglitsch FG, Toreti A, Xoplaki E, Della-Marta PM, Zerefos CS, Türkes M, Luterbacher J (2010)
Heat wave changes in the eastern Mediterranean since 1960. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L04802.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(22)
Mills GA (2005)
A re-examination of the synoptic and mesoscale meteorology of Ash Wednesday 1983. Australian Meteorological Magazine 54: 35-55.
Gscholar
(23)
Molina DM, Castellnou M, Garcia-Marco D, Salgueiro A (2010)
Improving fire management success through fire behaviour specialists. Research Report 23, European Forest Institute, Joensuu, Finland, pp. 105-119.
Gscholar
(24)
Montserrat D (1998)
Situaciones sinópticas relacionadas con el inicio de grandes incendios forestales en Cataluña. NIMBUS 1-2: 93-112. [in Spanish]
Gscholar
(25)
Moreno JM (2005)
Impactos sobre los riesgos naturales. Riesgo de incendios forestales. In: “Evaluación preliminar de los impactos en España por Efecto del Cambio climático”. Spanish Ministry of Environment, Madrid, Spain, pp. 581-615. [in Spanish]
Gscholar
(26)
Moriondo M, Good P, Durao R, Bindi M, Giannakopoulos C, Corte-Real J (2006)
Potential impact of climate change on fire risk in the Mediterranean area. Climate Research 31: 85-95.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(27)
Ogi M, Yamazaki K, Tachibana Y (2005)
The summer Northern annular mode and abnormal summer weather in 2003. Geophysical Research Letters 32: L04706.
Gscholar
(28)
Pereira MG, Malamud BD, Trigo RM, Alves PJ (2011)
The history and characteristics of the 1980-2005 Portuguese rural fire database. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 11: 3343-3358.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(29)
Pyne SJ, Andrews P, Laven RD (1996)
Introduction to wildland fire (2nd edn). John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA, pp. 769.
Gscholar
(30)
Regato P (2008)
Adapting to global change: Mediterranean forests. IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Malaga, Spain, pp. 254.
Gscholar
(31)
Riaño D, Ruiz JA, Isidoro D, Ustin SL (2007)
Global spatial patterns and temporal trends of burned area between 1981 and 2000 using NOAA-NASA Pathfinder. Global Change Biology 13: 40-50.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(32)
Ricotta C, Guglietta D, Migliozzi A (2012)
No evidence of increased fire risk due to agricultural land abandonment in Sardinia (Italy). Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 12: 1333-1336.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(33)
Rodriguez-Puebla C, Encinas AH, García-Casado LA, Nieto S (2010)
Trends in warm days and cold nights over the Iberian Peninsula: relationships to large-scale variables. Climatic Change 100: 667-684.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(34)
Salis M, Ager AA, Arca B, Finney MA, Bacciu V, Duce P, Spano D (2012a)
Assessing exposure of human and ecological values to wildfire in Sardinia, Italy. International Journal of Wildland Fire.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(35)
Salis M, Mavuli S, Falchi S, Piga A, Desole G, Montesu GP, Spano D (2012b)
Extreme wildfire spread and behavior: a case study from North Sardinia. In: “Modelling Fire Behaviour and Risk” (Spano D, Bacciu V, Salis M, Sirca C eds). NuovaStampacolor, Sassari, Italy, pp. 138-144.
Gscholar
(36)
Stocks BJ, Mason JA, Todd JB, Bosch EM, Wotton BM, Amiro BD, Flanningan MD, Hirsch KG, Logan KA, Martell DL, Skinner WR (2003)
Large forest fires in Canada, 1959-1997. J Geophys Res Atmos 108: 5-12.
Gscholar
(37)
Thompson MP, Ager AA, Finney MA, Calkin DE, Vaillant NM (2012a)
The science and opportunity of wildfire risk assessment (chapt. 6). In: “Novel Approaches and Their Applications in Risk Assessment” (Luo Y ed). Intech, Shangai, China, pp. 99-120.
Gscholar
(38)
Thompson MP, Calkin DE, Finney MA, Gebert KM, Hand MS (2012b)
A risk-based approach to wildland fire budgetary planning. Forest Science 59: 63-77.
CrossRef | Gscholar
(39)
Trigo RM, García-Herrera R, Díaz J, Trigo IF, Valente MA (2005)
How exceptional was the early August 2003 heatwave in France? Geophysical Research Letters 32: L10701.
Gscholar
(40)
Trigo RM, Pereira JM, Mota B, Calado T, Dacamara C, Santo F (2006)
Atmospheric conditions associated with the exceptional fire season of 2003 in Portugal. International Journal of Climatology 26: 1741-1757
CrossRef | Gscholar
 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. More info