UCI scientist analyzes equatorial environment

Drought years, cutting down trees, emitting more carbon dioxide, and a warming planet are viciously entangled in equatorial Asia, according to an international study that includes a UCI scientist.

The study, which analyzes fire and climate observations of places like Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea from satellites, shows that during drought years, far more acres of forest are cleared by fire. This, in turn, releases vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which climate scientists point to as the major culprit in climate change.

“Land managers respond to the drought by using fire to clear more land,” said UCI climate scientist and study co-author James Randerson, in a statement released to the media.

“In dry years, they burn deeper into the forest, which in turn releases more carbon dioxide.”

According to Randerson, the study shows that limits on deforestation would be an important part of any future climate agreement; those who model global warming have previously considered land use separately from climate when assessing greenhouse gas emissions.

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— Michael Alexander