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Science 17 November 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5802, pp. 1130 - 1132
DOI: 10.1126/science.1132075
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Reports

The Impact of Boreal Forest Fire on Climate Warming

J. T. Randerson,1* H. Liu,2 M. G. Flanner,1 S. D. Chambers,3 Y. Jin,1 P. G. Hess,4 G. Pfister,4 M. C. Mack,5 K. K. Treseder,1 L. R. Welp,6 F. S. Chapin,7 J. W. Harden,8 M. L. Goulden,1 E. Lyons,1 J. C. Neff,9 E. A. G. Schuur,5 C. S. Zender1

We report measurements and analysis of a boreal forest fire, integrating the effects of greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon deposition on snow and sea ice, and postfire changes in surface albedo. The net effect of all agents was to increase radiative forcing during the first year (34 ± 31 Watts per square meter of burned area), but to decrease radiative forcing when averaged over an 80-year fire cycle (–2.3 ± 2.2 Watts per square meter) because multidecadal increases in surface albedo had a larger impact than fire-emitted greenhouse gases. This result implies that future increases in boreal fire may not accelerate climate warming.

1 Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
2 Department of Physics, Atmospheric Science, and General Science, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA.
3 Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Environmental Division, Menai, NSW 2234, Australia.
4 Atmospheric Chemistry Division, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.
5 Department of Botany, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
6 Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
7 Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.
8 U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
9 Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jranders{at}uci.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Fire in the Earth System.
D. M. J. S. Bowman, J. K. Balch, P. Artaxo, W. J. Bond, J. M. Carlson, M. A. Cochrane, C. M. D'Antonio, R. S. DeFries, J. C. Doyle, S. P. Harrison, et al. (2009)
Science 324, 481-484
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Boreal forests, aerosols and the impacts on clouds and climate.
D. V Spracklen, B. Bonn, and K. S Carslaw (2008)
Phil Trans R Soc A 366, 4613-4626
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Climate and wildfires in the North American boreal forest.
M. Macias Fauria and E.A Johnson (2008)
Phil Trans R Soc B 363, 2315-2327
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Forests and Climate Change: Forcings, Feedbacks, and the Climate Benefits of Forests.
G. B. Bonan (2008)
Science 320, 1444-1449
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)