Forest Fires Are Affecting Rivers And Streams Increasingly!

Forest fires can have a significant effect on the amount of water flowing in nearby rivers and streams, and the impact can continue even years after the smoke clears away! Now, the number of forest fires is continuously rising in the west. Because of these wildfires, this is severely affecting the water supply of the region and this increased the risk of flooding or landslides in the western USA! Scientists examined streamflow which is the measure of water volume over time in rivers and streams and the climate data for 179 river basins.

Using a mathematical model the researchers developed, the scientists discovered the streamflow in the years after a fire tended to be higher than scientists would expect based solely on climate conditions! The larger fires contributed to larger increases in streamflow.

Let’s stop global warming and pollution to stop wildfires to make our beloved earth a better place to live! There is no Planet B! We all have to change our lifestyle to make our earth a better place to live for our future generations to come!

Author: Sri Nihal Tammana

Source: University of California Los Angeles