Forests 2016, 7(1), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/f7010022
A Global Index for Mapping the Exposure of Water Resources to Wildfire
François-Nicolas Robinne 1,*
, Carol Miller 2, Marc-André Parisien 3, Monica B. Emelko 4, Kevin D. Bladon 5, Uldis Silins 6 and Mike Flannigan 7
, Carol Miller 2, Marc-André Parisien 3, Monica B. Emelko 4, Kevin D. Bladon 5, Uldis Silins 6 and Mike Flannigan 71
Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada
2
Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
3
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, AB T6H 3S5, Canada
4
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
5
Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
6
Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada
7
Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Ge Sun and James M. Vose
Received: 2 October 2015 / Revised: 18 December 2015 / Accepted: 5 January 2016 / Published: 13 January 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Management and Water Resources in the Anthropocene)
Abstract
Wildfires are keystone components of natural disturbance regimes that maintain ecosystem structure and functions, such as the hydrological cycle, in many parts of the world. Consequently, critical surface freshwater resources can be exposed to post-fire effects disrupting their quantity, quality and regularity. Although well studied at the local scale, the potential extent of these effects has not been examined at the global scale. We take the first step toward a global assessment of the wildfire water risk (WWR) by presenting a spatially explicit index of exposure. Several variables related to fire activity and water availability were identified and normalized for use as exposure indicators. Additive aggregation of those indicators was then carried out according to their individual weight. The resulting index shows the greatest exposure risk in the tropical wet and dry forests. Intermediate exposure is indicated in mountain ranges and dry shrublands, whereas the lowest index scores are mostly associated with high latitudes. We believe that such an approach can provide important insights for water security by guiding global freshwater resource preservation. View Full-TextKeywords:
wildfire water risk; global index; wildfire hazard; water security; water resources exposure
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Robinne, F.-N.; Miller, C.; Parisien, M.-A.; Emelko, M.B.; Bladon, K.D.; Silins, U.; Flannigan, M. A Global Index for Mapping the Exposure of Water Resources to Wildfire. Forests 2016, 7, 22.
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