Contingent Pacific-Atlantic Ocean influence on multicentury wildfire synchrony over western North America
The authors examined the relationships between continental-scale drought and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) to understand how interannual and multidecadal climate variability drives fire activity across continental scales.
The authors found that ENSO has a strong interannual influence on PDSI and, hence, fire activity across the western U.S., whereas PDO captures the variation in fire across decadal scales in the Pacific Northwest. AMO influences the strength of both ENSO and PDO across multi-decadal scales across the continent. In the Southwest, prior wet years, often associated with warm ENSO events, prime fuels for synchronous fire activity during the subsequent fire season.
Climate and Fire Linkages
The authors found that ENSO has a strong interannual influence on PDSI and, hence, fire activity across the western U.S., whereas PDO captures the variation in fire across decadal scales in the Pacific Northwest. AMO influences the strength of both ENSO and PDO across multi-decadal scales across the continent. In the Southwest, prior wet years, often associated with warm ENSO events, prime fuels for synchronous fire activity during the subsequent fire season.