Wildland fire in ecosystems: Effects of fire on soil and water

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on soils and water can assist land and fire managers with information on the physical, chemical, and biological effects of fire needed to successfully conduct ecosystem management, and effectively inform others about the role and impacts of wildland fire. Chapter topics include the soil resource, soil physical properties and fire, soil chemistry effects, soil biology responses, the hydrologic cycle and water resources, water quality, aquatic biology, fire effectson wetland and riparian systems, fire effects models, and watershed rehabilitation

Erosão hídrica pós-plantio em florestas de eucalipto na bacia do rio Paraná, no leste do Mato Grosso do Sul

Nas regiões tropicais, o desgaste provocado no solo por ação das águas da chuva, ou seja, a erosão hídrica é a mais importante forma de degradação do solo. Visto que os plantios florestais de eucalipto estão inseridos em ecossistemas sensíveis às perturbações antrópicas em razão de ocorrência de plantações em solos com baixos teores de argila, com baixa fertilidade natural e grande parte das plantações estabelecidas em antigas áreas agrícolas e de pastagens degradadas, surge a necessidade do entendimento dos processos que regem a erosão hídrica e suas relações com as perdas de solo e água nos sistemas florestais. Objetivaram-se com este trabalho calcular os valores de erosividade da chuva (fator R - EI30), estimar a tolerância de perda de solo (T) para as classes representativas nas áreas de estudo, avaliar as perdas de solo e água por erosão hídrica e verificar a influência, por meio de análise de componentes principais (ACP), de atributos físicos e matéria orgânica do solo sobre a erosão hídrica em florestas de eucalipto no estádio de pós-plantio. Os tratamentos constituíram de diferentes sistemas de manejo dos resíduos e da disposição de plantio (nível e desnível), em dois biomas distintos, Cerrado e Floresta, e solo descoberto. Os solos foram classificados como Latossolo Vermelho distrófico típico textura média-alta fase floresta (LVd1) e Latossolo Vermelho distrófico típico textura média-baixa fase cerrado (LVd2). O estudo foi realizado em áreas experimentais de plantio de eucalipto localizadas no município de Três Lagoas, na bacia do Rio Paraná, no leste do Mato Grosso do Sul. O índice de erosividade anual obtido foi de 6.792,7 MJ mm ha-1 h-1 ano-1. Os valores de T variaram de 9,0 a 11,0 Mg ha-1 ano-1, para o LVd2 e LVd1, respectivamente. As perdas de solo apresentaram valores em torno de 0 a 0,505 Mg ha-1 no LVd1 e de 0 a 0,853 Mg ha-1, no LVd2. A ACP evidenciou-se eficiente na discriminação dos sistemas de manejo em razão da interação entre os atributos físicos e matéria orgânica do solo e suas relações com a erosão hídrica, possibilitando visualizar de forma clara a influência do manejo sobre esses atributos e a relação de ambos com as perdas de solo e água

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Hazard Analysis of Post-Fire Debris-Flow Potential in Arizona

In June, 2010, the human-caused Schultz Fire near Flagstaff burned 6,100 ha of mostly steep terrain. Subsequent rains from the 4th wettest monsoon on record produced numerous debris flows, significant erosion, and substantial flooding of the downslope residential areas. In May and June of 2011, 3 very large human-caused wildfires (Wallow, Horseshoe 2, and Monument Fires) burned over 320,000 ha, posing serious threats to communities below burned slopes. The USGS assisted the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams, tasked with rapid assessment of damages from wildfires, in predicting the probability of post-fire debris flows from burned basins using models developed for this purpose [Cannon and others, 2010, GSA Bull, 122(1-2), 127-144]. These models, while providing quick results, have not been evaluated for use in Arizona’s varied physiographic provinces. Here we use data from the Schultz Fire to compare basin responses with the modeled probabilities from the 3 USGS post-fire debris-flow models (Models A, B and C). Data from the Schultz Fire includes detailed field documentation of debris-flow occurrence and runout distances, 1:12,000 stereo aerial photographs, photogrammetrically derived 1- and 3-m digital elevation models (DEMs), 10-m USGS DEMs and tipping-bucket rainfall data. Hydrologic responses from 48 nested basins burned by the Schultz Fire were assessed for debris or flood flow occurrences. Thirty-four basins produced debris flows during a July 20th storm that had a peak 10-minute intensity of 24 mm. A second storm on August 16th, with a peak 10-minute intensity of 15 mm, produced additional debris flows in 23 of the same basins. Morphometric, soils, and burn severity data from the 48 basins were entered into the 3 USGS models along with average rainfall intensity and storm totals from 5 storms, including the July 20th and August 16th storms. Models A and B predicted a high probability (≥60%) of debris flows in 33 and 53 basins, respectively, for the July 20th and August 16th storms. Data from the other 3 storms resulted in 0 basins from Model A and 4 basins from Model B with a predicted high probability of debris flows. Model C failed to predict debris flows under any of the study storm conditions. Detailed data and documented debris-flow occurrences from the 2010 Schultz Fire provides an opportunity to compare post-fire basin responses in Arizona with predicted responses from the USGS post-fire debris-flow models. This work is continuing with data from the 2011 Wallow, Horseshoe 2 and Monument Fires.Originally presented at American Geophysical Union Fall 2011 Meeting. Session: Debris Flows: From Hazard Mitigation to Landscape Evolution II Posters; EP31B-0821. Wednesday, 7 December.Documents in the AZGS Document Repository collection are made available by the Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact [email protected]

The Large-Scale Effect of Forest Cover on Long-Term Streamflow Variations in Mediterranean Catchments of Central Chile

Forest ecosystems play an important role in surface and subsurface runoff, as well as the availability of water. Therefore, it is important to have a greater understanding of the interactions between forests and the production of water in watersheds. In this sense, this study evaluates the long-term effect of native forests and forest plantations on streamflow variations in central Chile, an unusual climatic area characterized by a well-marked annual cycle with dry summers and wet winters. Thus, the temporal pattern of monthly streamflow was evaluated for mean flow (Qmean), maximum flow (Qmax), and minimum flow (Qmin) in 42 large watersheds. Each series of monthly streamflow data was QA/QC, and then evaluated using the Mann–Kendall’s non-parametric statistical test to detect temporal variations between 1994 and 2015. In addition to the previous analysis, the monthly series were grouped into wet seasons (April–September) and dry seasons (October–April), to determine if there were any significant differences within the annual hydrological cycle. The areas covered with native and forest plantations and their relative changes were evaluated for each catchment through the relationship between streamflow variations and forest cover indicators. Results suggest that streamflow variations are positive and significant when more forest cover exists. The intra-catchment relationships observed during dry seasons for both species revealed the significant role of native forests and mixed masses as key ecosystems for the conservation of long-term streamflow variations in Mediterranean catchments of central Chile. These findings encourage an urgent need to create highland afforestation programs on degraded areas of central Chile, to maximize water storage in a region that is quickly drying out due to unsustainable water and land use management practices and the effects of global warming. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]