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News From the Field

As Arctic Temperatures Rise, Tundra Fires Increase, Researchers Find


November 17, 2010

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The Anaktuvuk River Fire in 2007 burned over 1,000 square kilometers of tundra on Alaska's North Slope, doubling the area burned in that region since record keeping began in 1950. A new analysis reveals that this was the most destructive tundra fire at that site for at least 5,000 years. Models built on 60 years of climate and fire data found that even moderate increases in warm-season temperatures in the region dramatically increase the likelihood of such fires.Full Story

Source
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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