Climate change in Yellowstone National Park: Is the drought-related risk of wildfires increasing?

Robert Balling; Grant A. Meyer; Stephen G. Wells

doi:10.1007/BF00143342

Climate change in Yellowstone National Park: Is the drought-related risk of wildfires increasing?

Robert Balling, Grant A. Meyer, Stephen G. Wells

Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, School of (SGSUP)

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61 Scopus citations

Abstract

The increased frequency of wildfires in the United States has become a common prediction associated with the build-up of greenhouse gases. In this investigation, variations in annual wildfire data in Yellowstone National Park are compared to variations in historical climate conditions for the area. Univariate and multivariate analytical techniques reveal that (a) summer temperatures in the Park are increasing, (b) January-June precipitation levels are decreasing, and (c) variations in burn area within the Park are significantly related to the observed variations in climate. Outputs from four different general circulation model simulations for 2 × CO₂ are included in the analyses; model predictions for increasing aridity in the Yellowstone Park area are generally in agreement with observed trends in the historical climate records.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	35-45
Number of pages	11
Journal	Climatic Change
Volume	22
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00143342
State	Published - Sep 1 1992

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Global and Planetary Change
Atmospheric Science

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10.1007/BF00143342

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abstract = "The increased frequency of wildfires in the United States has become a common prediction associated with the build-up of greenhouse gases. In this investigation, variations in annual wildfire data in Yellowstone National Park are compared to variations in historical climate conditions for the area. Univariate and multivariate analytical techniques reveal that (a) summer temperatures in the Park are increasing, (b) January-June precipitation levels are decreasing, and (c) variations in burn area within the Park are significantly related to the observed variations in climate. Outputs from four different general circulation model simulations for 2 × CO2 are included in the analyses; model predictions for increasing aridity in the Yellowstone Park area are generally in agreement with observed trends in the historical climate records.",

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AB - The increased frequency of wildfires in the United States has become a common prediction associated with the build-up of greenhouse gases. In this investigation, variations in annual wildfire data in Yellowstone National Park are compared to variations in historical climate conditions for the area. Univariate and multivariate analytical techniques reveal that (a) summer temperatures in the Park are increasing, (b) January-June precipitation levels are decreasing, and (c) variations in burn area within the Park are significantly related to the observed variations in climate. Outputs from four different general circulation model simulations for 2 × CO2 are included in the analyses; model predictions for increasing aridity in the Yellowstone Park area are generally in agreement with observed trends in the historical climate records.

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Climate change in Yellowstone National Park: Is the drought-related risk of wildfires increasing?

Abstract

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