Fire - climate feedback in the Earth System

• Applicant: Dr. Silvia Kloster
• Subject Area: Atmospheric Science
• Term: from 2010 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 182157133

• Final Report Year: 2017

Final Report Abstract

The primary objective of the Emmy Noether “Fire in the Earth System” research group is a detailed consideration of terrestrial biosphere fires and fire mediated climate relevant processes in an Earth System Model (ESM) and the utilization of such a model to assess the fire-climate feedback. In the following selected major accomplishments of the group are listed which build on the aim to use the MPI-M ESM to assess the fire-climate feedback. Fire model for ESM applications: A global process based fire model (SPITFIRE) was adapted for the application in JSBACH and implemented into the MPI-ESM. The model was applied in historical simulations (1850 – 2010) and evaluated extensively with available satellite observations as well as historical fire observations. The model was applied in a number of studies investigating a new empirical based wind speed dependency, analysing the anthropogenic effects on mean fire size and an assessment of the importance of fuel variability. The group initiated together with partner institutes the fire model intercomparison project FIREMIP, which for the first time systematically intercompares global fire models. SPITFIRE is now the standard fire model in MPI-ESM releases and will be applied in all CMIP6 simulations of the MPI-M. Multiple stable states of tree cover - Fire-vegetation feedback: We have shown for the first time the potential of multiple stable states of vegetation globally based on a process-based vegetation model. The reason for multiple stable states was identified as the sensitivity of fire to tree cover. While regions in Africa and South America were subject of previous studies in terms of potential multi-stability our results highlight also a potential for multiple stable states of vegetation in a region in Asia. Fire aerosol emissions: Fires do emit aerosols and trace gases depending on the fire intensity into large altitudes, potentially prolonging their lifetime and enhancing their climate impact. We extended the MPI-ESM by a semi-empirical parameterization that does emit aerosols in to altitudes according to the prevalent atmospheric stability and fire intensity. While emission heights can occasionally reach up to 5 to 7 km the overall impact on the atmospheric radiation balance compared to pure surface emissions is small. For future climate conditions we showed that fire intensity increases leading to higher emissions heights, while at the same time an increase in atmospheric stability decreases emission height. Consequently, emission heights in 2100 are comparable to present day.

Publications

• (2015), Fire Emission Heights in the Climate System Part II: Impact on Transport, Black Carbon Concentrations and Radiation, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15, 7173-7193
  Veira, A.; Kloster, S.; Schutgens, N. A. J. & Kaiser, J. W.
  
• (2015), Impact of fuel variability on wildfire emission estimates, Atmospheric Environment (121),93-102, IBBI special issue
  Lasslop, Gitta & Kloster, Silvia
  
• (2015). Controls on fire activity over the Holocene. Climate of the Past, 11(6), 781-788
  Kloster, S.; Brücher, T.; Brovkin, V. & Wilkenskjeld, S.
  
• (2016), Multiple stable states of tree cover in a global land surface model due to a fire - vegetation feedback, Geophysical Research Letters, 43, 6324-6331
  Lasslop, G.; Brovkin, V.; Reick, C. H.; Bathiany, S. & Kloster, S.
  
• (2016), The status and challenge of global fire modeling, Biogeosciences
  Hantson, S.; Arneth, A.; Harrison, S. P.; Kelley, D. I.; Prentice, I. C.; Rabin, S. S.; Archibald, S.; Mouillot, F.; Arnold, S. R.; Artaxo, P.; Bachelet, D.; Ciais, P.; Forrest, M.; Friedlingstein, P.; Hickler, T.; Kaplan, J. O.; Kloster, S.; Knorr, W.; Lasslop, G.; ... & Yue, C.
  
• (2016), Wildfires in a warmer climate: Emission fluxes, emission heights and black carbon concentrations in 2090-2099, Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, 121
  Veira, A.; Lasslop, G. & Kloster, S.
  
• (2017), Historical and future fire occurrence (1850 to 2100) simulated in CMIP5 Earth System Models, Global Planetary Change, 150
  Kloster, Silvia & Lasslop, Gitta
  
• (2017). Historic global biomass burning emissions based on merging satellite observations with proxies and fire models (1750- 2015). Geoscientific Model Development, 1–56
  van Marle, Margreet J. E.; Kloster, Silvia; Magi, Brian I.; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Daniau, Anne-Laure; Field, Robert D.; Arneth, Almut; Forrest, Matthew; Hantson, Stijn; Kehrwald, Natalie M.; Knorr, Wolfgang; Lasslop, Gitta; Li, Fang; Mangeon, Stéphane; Yue, Chao; Kaiser, Johannes W. & van der Werf, Guido R.
  
• (2017). The Fire Modeling Intercomparison Project (FireMIP), phase 1: experimental and analytical protocols with detailed model descriptions. Geoscientific Model Development, 10(3), 1175–1197
  Rabin, Sam S.; Melton, Joe R.; Lasslop, Gitta; Bachelet, Dominique; Forrest, Matthew; Hantson, Stijn; Kaplan, Jed O.; Li, Fang; Mangeon, Stéphane; Ward, Daniel S.; Yue, Chao; Arora, Vivek K.; Hickler, Thomas; Kloster, Silvia; Knorr, Wolfgang; Nieradzik, Lars; Spessa, Allan; Folberth, Gerd A.; Sheehan, Tim; ... & Arneth, Almut