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Connection of Wildfires in Russian Regions to Atmospheric Blockings

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Abstract

Results of the analysis of wildfires in Russian regions using satellite data for 2000–2021 are presented. The results indicate a predominant increase in the number of intense fires in Russia, which has been especially noticeable in recent years. Using reanalysis data, a significant correlation between wildfires in Russia and atmospheric blocking has been revealed. An integral blockings index, whose value can reach and exceed 10% for fire seasons in Russian regions from April to October, was used to characterize atmospheric blocking. It has been found that an increase in the integral blockings index by 1% corresponds to an increase in the number of forest fires in Russia by 14%. According to the estimates, the contribution to the variance of interannual change in the number of wildfires associated with atmospheric blockings reaches \(\sim\)40%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Moscow, Russia

    I. I. Mokhov

  2. Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    I. I. Mokhov & S. A. Sitnov

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  1. I. I. Mokhov
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  2. S. A. Sitnov
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Correspondence to I. I. Mokhov.

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Translated from Meteorologiya i Gidrologiya, 2023, No. 7, pp. 94-101. https://doi.org/10.52002/0130-2906-2023-7-94-101.

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Mokhov, I.I., Sitnov, S.A. Connection of Wildfires in Russian Regions to Atmospheric Blockings. Russ. Meteorol. Hydrol. 48, 624–629 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068373923070099

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