@article{ref1,
title="Climate change lengthens southeastern USA lightning-ignited fire seasons",
journal="Global change biology",
year="2019",
author="Fill, Jennifer M. and Davis, Corey N. and Crandall, Raelene M.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="Trends in average annual or seasonal precipitation are insufficient for detecting changes in the climatic fire season, especially in regions where the fire season is defined by wet-dry seasonal cycles and lightning activity. Using an extensive dataset (1897-2017) in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, we examined changes in annual dry season length, total precipitation, and (since 1945) the seasonal distribution of thunder-days as a correlate of lightning activity. We found that across the entire region, the dry season has lengthened by as much as 156 days (130% over 120 years), both starting earlier and ending later with less total precipitation. Less rainfall over a longer dry season, with no change in seasonal thunderstorm patterns, likely increases both the potential for lightning-ignited wildfires and fire severity. Global climate change could be having a hitherto undetected influence on fire regimes by altering the synchrony of climatic seasonal parameters.<br><br>© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1354-1013",
doi="10.1111/gcb.14727",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14727"
}