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- Title
Influence of Eastern Pacific Hurricanes on the Southwest US Wildfire Environment.
- Authors
Balaguru, Karthik; Wang, Sally S.‐C.; Leung, L. Ruby; Hagos, Samson; Harrop, Bryce; Chang, Chuan‐Chieh; Lubis, Sandro W.; Garuba, Oluwayemi A.; Taraphdar, Sourav
- Abstract
While some previous studies examined the contribution of Eastern Pacific (EP) hurricanes toward precipitation in the arid Southwest US (SWUS), their potential to influence wildfires in that region has not been explored. Here we show, using observations and simulations from the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), that recurving EP hurricanes modulate the wildfire environment in the SWUS by increasing precipitation and soil moisture, and reducing the vapor pressure deficit. This is especially the case during late season months of September–October when the likelihood of storms to recurve and make landfall increases. Further, analysis of burnt area observations reveals that for the months of September–October, recurving EP hurricanes may significantly reduce the prevalence of wildfires in the SWUS. Finally, E3SM simulations indicate that late season EP hurricanes have been on the decline, with important implications for wildfires in the SWUS. Plain Language Summary: A majority of Eastern Pacific (EP) hurricanes form and traverse westwards away from the North American coastline. Therefore, compared to tropical cyclones in some other basins, EP hurricanes have historically received less attention. However, some previous studies have shown that recurving EP hurricanes can contribute significantly to precipitation in the arid Southwest US (SWUS) region. Here, we build on these studies and demonstrate that recurving EP hurricanes significantly modulate the SWUS wildfire environment. During years with recurving EP hurricanes, the precipitation and soil moisture are enhanced, and the vapor pressure deficit is reduced, over the SWUS region. Therefore, during late season months of September–October, when recurving EP hurricanes occur, they make the environment less favorable for wildfires in the SWUS region. With climate models showing a long‐term decline in recurving EP hurricanes and the precipitation associated with them over the SWUS region, our study has substantial implications for autumn wildfires of that region. Key Points: Eastern Pacific (EP) hurricanes that recurve tend to enhance precipitation and reduce vapor pressure deficit in the Southwest US regionDuring September–October, recurving EP hurricanes may make the environment less favorable for wildfires in the Southwest USClimate model simulations suggest that Southwest US precipitation associated with recurving EP hurricanes has decreased
- Subjects
WILDFIRES; HURRICANES; LANDFALL; ATMOSPHERIC models; TROPICAL cyclones; STORMS; VAPOR pressure; WILDFIRE prevention
- Publication
Geophysical Research Letters, 2024, Vol 51, Issue 4, p1
- ISSN
0094-8276
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023GL106774