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Fire has emerged as one of the most visible and devastating impacts of climate change. Fire intensity and area burned are increasing around the globe, in many cases earlier and faster than previously expected. Human activities are to blame -- deforestation, land management, and not least, fossil fuel burning -- which points to potential solutions. Explore how fire is changing and what we can do about it with a diverse panel of perspectives spanning the Arctic to the Amazon.
Featuring Woodwell Climate Research Scientists from the Arctic and Amazon Programs.
Dr. Marcia Macedo takes a unique view of Amazon forests—seeing the forests for the streams. Her work explores how agricultural expansion and climate change is altering the flow of water through tropical landscapes, focusing on hotspots of connection between upland forests and aquatic systems, like streams and rivers. She links detailed, on-the-ground ecological understanding with large-scale, remote sensing data and statistical models to inform decisions about land use. For over fifteen years, Dr. Macedo has worked with agricultural producers in a research role, developing strong and productive relationships.
Dr. Brendan Rogers studies the vast expanses of boreal forests and Arctic tundra across Earth’s northern high-latitudes. His work focuses on understanding how these systems impact—and are impacted by—global climate change. Dr. Rogers is widely recognized for his expertise, acting as a member and leader of various working groups, steering committees, science teams, and editorial groups focused on Earth’s rapidly changing high-latitude ecosystems. He is deputy lead for Permafrost Pathways, an initiative funded through the Audacious Project that addresses the local to global impacts of permafrost thaw. Dr. Rogers engages a range of stakeholders and rights-holders, from local community members and fire managers to international policy makers, in exploring the societal ramifications of his work.
Dr. Michael Coe has studied forests and savannas from North America to Sub-Saharan Africa, but has focused his attention on the Amazon for more than twenty years. Combining field data, satellite observations, and computer models, he strives to provide a clearer understanding of how deforestation alters regional and global climate and affects the environment. His work explores how expanding agriculture changes evaporation, soil moisture, river discharge, soil and river biogeochemistry, and climate. Dr. Coe and his colleagues work with a range of stakeholders, from Indigenous communities to large agricultural landholders, to develop and support science-based strategies for ending deforestation.