July 19, 2023
‘Zombie fires’ in the Arctic: Canada’s extreme wildfire season offers a glimpse of new risks in a warmer, drier future
As global temperatures rise, fires are spreading farther north and into the Arctic. These fires aren’t just burning in trees and grasses. New research on the exceptional Arctic fire seasons of 2019 and 2020 points to fires moving into the ground as well. These underground fires are known as “zombie fires,” and there are a number of reasons to worry about the trend, says Patrick Louchouarn, a professor in the School of Earth Sciences.
