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Type: Journal Article
Author(s): Farshid Vahedifard; Masoud Abdollahi; Ben A. Leshchinsky; Timothy D. Stark; Mojtaba Sadegh; Amir AghaKouchak
Publication Date: 2024

The frequency, severity, and spatial extent of destructive wildfires have increased in several regions globally over the past decades. While direct impacts from wildfires are devastating, the hazardous legacy of wildfires affects nearby communities long after the flames have been extinguished. Post-wildfire soil conditions control the persistence, severity, and timing of cascading geohazards in burned landscapes. The interplay and feedback between geohazards and wildfire-induced changes to soil properties, land cover conditions, and near-surface and surface processes are still poorly understood. Here, we synthesize wildfire-induced processes that can affect the critical attributes of burned soils and their conditioning of subsequent geohazards. More specifically, we discuss the state of knowledge pertaining to changes in mineralogical, hydraulic, mechanical, and thermal properties of soil due to wildfire with a focus on advances in the past decade. We identify how these changes in soil properties alter evapotranspiration, interception, sediment transport, infiltration, and runoff. We then link these alterations to the evolution of different geohazards, including dry raveling, erosion, rockfalls, landslides, debris flows, and land subsidence. Finally, we identify research gaps and future directions to advance knowledge on how wildfires control the evolution of various earth surface processes and geohazards over time.

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Citation: Vahedifard, Farshid; Abdollahi, Masood; Leshchinsky, Ben A.; Stark, Timothy D.; Sadegh, Mojtaba; AghaKouchak, Amir. 2024. Interdependencies between wildfire-induced alterations in soil properties, near-surface processes, and geohazards. Earth and Space Science 11(2):e2023EA003498.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Alaska    California    Eastern    Great Basin    Hawaii    Northern Rockies    Northwest    Rocky Mountain    Southern    Southwest    National
Keywords:
  • burned soil
  • geohazard
  • land cover
  • soil properties
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 69077