A new study reveals that climate change made South Korea's severe March wildfires twice as likely and 15% more intense, with alarming implications for the country's future fire risk. Image credit: France24
(The Post News)- Scientists have linked South Korea’s severe March wildfires to climate change, finding that the disaster was twice as likely due to rising temperatures. The fires, which killed 32 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, could become even more frequent if temperatures continue to rise. The wildfires scorched 104,000 hectares of land, making them almost four times larger than the country’s previous worst fire season 25 years ago.
A team of researchers found that climate change made the hot, dry, and windy conditions fueling South Korea’s wildfires twice as likely and 15% more intense. The country’s rapid temperature rise in March and April, combined with dry winters, creates a fire-prone environment, according to June-Yi Lee of Pusan National University.
This year, average temperatures from March 22-26 were 10 degrees Celsius higher than usual in the southeast, and patterns of low and high pressure to the north and south generated the powerful winds that helped the fire spread, Lee told a briefing. “This year, the size of the impact was very extreme… because of the dry weather, the heat, and the high temperatures—a perfect storm of conditions,” she said.
If global warming continues, similar fire-driving weather could become more common, with a projected 5% increase in intensity and double the likelihood of such events by 2100, according to researchers. The fires also highlighted concerns that South Korea’s extensive tree-planting program may have inadvertently increased the country’s fire risk, suggesting a need for adapted forest management strategies.
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