Fire and water: integrating management, Indigenous knowledge, and modeling of wildfire impacts on water resources
Wildfires have increased in frequency and severity worldwide, affecting both hydrological processes and water quality in ways we do not fully understand. A session at AGU21 will explore scientific research and adaptive management strategies that address the linkages between wildfires and water resources.
A session led by SEI scientists at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union seeks to review scientific research and adaptive management strategies addressing the linkages between wildfires and water resources.
In recent decades, wildfires have increased in frequency and severity worldwide due to the combined effects of natural fire dynamics, human-induced fires and climate change. These wildfires have resulted in the loss of millions of hectares of vegetation cover and affects both hydrological processes and water quality in ways we do not fully understand.
To discuss how forest and wildfire management could better account for potential changes in regional water balances and the availability of clean water resources, we welcome contributions about:
- quantitative studies of the impacts of forest fires and deforestation on catchment scale hydrology and water quality;
- management and governance solutions that enhance collaboration between water sector authorities and land managers; and
- integrating local and indigenous knowledge into studies of forest and water linkages.