Climate change will increase fire weather danger in forests: Study

◗ THE STUDY by IIT Delhi, which developed a high-resolution data set of future climate projections, indicates that atmospheric temperatures are on a rapid and unprecedented rise, with profound implications for the nation’s diverse ecosystems

In a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, it has been revealed that humaninduced climate change is significantly altering the fire weather danger in Indian forests.

The study, which developed a high-resolution data set of future climate projections, indicates that atmospheric temperatures are on a rapid and unprecedented rise, with profound implications for the nation’s diverse ecosystems.

The research focused on calculating the Fire Weather Index (FWI) for various forest regions in India. Shockingly, the results point to a substantial increase in FWI by the end of the century, particularly in forests located in Central and South India, as well as the Himalayan region.

The study predicts an extended fire season in these areas, with an increase ranging from 12 to 61 days.

Contrary to conventional expectations, the study found that not all forests would experience heightened fire risk. Humid tropical forests in the Western Ghats and parts of the North-East, where projections indicate increased rainfall and humidity, are expected to see a decrease in FWI despite the overall warming trend.

Dr Somnath Baidya Roy, Professor and Head of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and co-author of the study, emphasised the necessity of studying forest fires in India with a high degree of granularity. He stated, “Course resolution global scale studies simply don’t work for us.”

Anasuya Barik, a Ph.D student at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and the lead author of the study, highlighted the significance of the findings for forest fire management. “Our study is the first of its kind in India and has significant implications for understanding and managing forest fires. Our study shows that we need to develop fire danger thresholds and management policies at local levels instead of national levels.”