Wildfires in Siberia
An increase of wildfires has left many wondering what is to blame, and more importantly, what is to come.
Siberia has been on fire in recent years.
The vast region of the Russian Federation known as Siberia is commonly referred to in Western media as a cold and desolate tundra, devoid of life spare the occasional cute arctic fox and herds of reindeer. This notion, however, is untrue and becoming less true as climate change continues to shape the region. Russia has a landmass greater than that of the surface area of Pluto, making Siberia one of the largest regions in the world and home to many diverse climates that change throughout the year. During the summer months, Siberia can heat up to over 100 degrees (1), drying out the forests and melting glacial ice. These dry forests are primed for fire due to their density over long periods of undisturbed growth.
Scientists say that warmer weather in the region is the cause of the fires. (2)
Through the use of mass spectrometry, scientists examined charcoal and pollen found in the region and constructed a timeline that spans from current day to roughly 14,000 years ago. A trend over the millennia had been found by the scientists: the higher the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, the more likely it is that fires will occur in the Siberian arctic. Periods with high pollen count, signaling high carbon dioxide concentration as it shows high plant reproductive activity, also have more ancient charcoal dated to their respective periods than other periods with normal or below average pollen count.
Carbon dioxide levels are only rising more and more, meaning it's going to get hotter.
The Keeling Curve is a graph that has been tracking atmospheric carbon dioxide for decades. The jigsaw pattern is due to seasonal changes and plant intake, with the red being the average. The average parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was less than 320 in 1960, as of 2005 had almost reached 380, and as of writing this, May 2021, has reached roughly 415 parts per million. The levels of carbon dioxide will continue to increase unless something drastic is done, otherwise Siberia will begin to burn more and more. This effect will be worldwide, and it would not just be Siberia suffering from the effects of climate change.
So what does this all mean for the people that live there?
Because of the remoteness of the area, firefighting is practically impossible if the fire surpasses a major size. The more practical approach to battling these blazes is to focus as a whole to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas output. Most Siberian peoples live in modern towns, so the largest effect they would see would be an increase in temperature across the year, more smoke pollution, and animals fleeing the destruction of their habitat from fire. Other nomadic tribes, like the one pictured, will see massive changes to the migratory patterns they follow and may see a general loss of production following habitat loss.
A ticking bomb.
The peatlands of Siberia contain a substantial amount of organic material which they've gathered over thousands and thousands of years. The fires have begun to threaten these peatlands, and when the peat catches fire it is much more difficult to stop and releases tons more of carbon dioxide and methane than a regular forest fire. This will only inflame the situation more, causing further fires. (3)
Citations:
- Specktor, B. (2020, June 22). Siberian town records 100 degree F day - the hottest in Arctic history. LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/hottest-arctic-circle-temperature-ever-siberia.html.
- Higuera, P. E., Brubaker, L. B., Anderson, P. M., Brown, T. A., Kennedy, A. T., & Hu, F. S. (2008). Frequent fires in ANCIENT shrub TUNDRA: Implications OF Paleorecords for Arctic environmental change. PLoS ONE,3(3). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001744
- Patel, K. (2020, August 7). Another Intense Summer of Fires in Siberia [Web log post]. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/147083/another-intense-summer-of-fires-in-siberia