Effects of Drought and Cloud-Water Interception on Wildfire Hazard in Hawaiʻi Active
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of wildfire on freshwater supplies and aquatic ecosystems.
Drought
Changes and extremes in climate, as reflected in drought, can have profound effects on wildfire frequency, severity, duration, and extent through change in the biomass and moisture content of live and dead vegetation. In areas affected by drought or in areas where the future climate becomes drier, reduced soil moisture can enhance wildfire hazard and threaten native species.
Cloud-Water Interception
Cloud-water interception is the process by which fog or cloud-water droplets are captured and accumulate on, and potentially drip from, the leaves and branches of plants. During periods of drought, persistent cloud-water interception plays an important role in providing moisture for plants, reducing wildfire hazard within the zone where the fog occurs.
Rates of cloud-water interception are mainly controlled by the amount of cloud water supplied to vegetation and the vegetation’s ability to capture the cloud water. Hence, cloud-water interception may be reduced during drought or in areas where the future climate becomes drier, or where changes in vegetation type and structure diminish the capture of cloud water. Reduced cloud-water interception has the potential to exacerbate the effects of drought on wildfire hazard.
Wildfire Hazard
Wildfire hazard refers to the prevalence of moisture stress in live vegetation that is favorable for wildfire occurrence and propagation. The most wildfire-prone areas in Hawaiʻi are grasslands dominated by native and non-native grasses, small shrubs, and ferns. Estimates of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and climatic water deficit are useful surrogates for estimates of the moisture content in live vegetation because these features are linked to the physical interactions between soils and plants, and can be used in wildfire danger assessments.
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of wildfire on freshwater supplies and aquatic ecosystems.
Drought
Changes and extremes in climate, as reflected in drought, can have profound effects on wildfire frequency, severity, duration, and extent through change in the biomass and moisture content of live and dead vegetation. In areas affected by drought or in areas where the future climate becomes drier, reduced soil moisture can enhance wildfire hazard and threaten native species.
Cloud-Water Interception
Cloud-water interception is the process by which fog or cloud-water droplets are captured and accumulate on, and potentially drip from, the leaves and branches of plants. During periods of drought, persistent cloud-water interception plays an important role in providing moisture for plants, reducing wildfire hazard within the zone where the fog occurs.
Rates of cloud-water interception are mainly controlled by the amount of cloud water supplied to vegetation and the vegetation’s ability to capture the cloud water. Hence, cloud-water interception may be reduced during drought or in areas where the future climate becomes drier, or where changes in vegetation type and structure diminish the capture of cloud water. Reduced cloud-water interception has the potential to exacerbate the effects of drought on wildfire hazard.
Wildfire Hazard
Wildfire hazard refers to the prevalence of moisture stress in live vegetation that is favorable for wildfire occurrence and propagation. The most wildfire-prone areas in Hawaiʻi are grasslands dominated by native and non-native grasses, small shrubs, and ferns. Estimates of soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and climatic water deficit are useful surrogates for estimates of the moisture content in live vegetation because these features are linked to the physical interactions between soils and plants, and can be used in wildfire danger assessments.