BOREAS flight measurements of forest-fire effects on carbon dioxide and energy fluxes

• Published in: Agricultural and forest meteorology 1999-09, Vol.96 (4), p.199-208
• Main Authors: Amiro, B.D., MacPherson, J.I., Desjardins, R.L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agricultural and forest meteorology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Boreal forest; Carbon dioxide; Climatology, meteorology; Energy balance; Evapotranspiration; Fire; Forest and land fires; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Techniques. Climatology. Meteorology. Climatic models of plant production; Net radiation; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Weather damages. Fires
• ISSN: 0168-1923; 1873-2240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1923(99)00050-7

Fire is the dominant stand-replacing agent in the Canadian boreal forest, but few quantitative measurements are available on the micrometeorological effects of fire. Airborne flux measurements during the BOREAS experiment were referenced to age of burn along a 500-km transect through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. These data for 1-, 5-, and 7-year-old burns were supplemented with 15- and 30-year-old-burn data from the BOREAS northern study site near Thompson, Manitoba. Data were available near midday only and included the June, July and September campaigns during 1994, and July of 1996. Surface radiometric temperature increased by up to 6°C and remained elevated even 15 years after fire. Net radiation was largely unaffected whereas albedo decreased in the first year post-fire but recovered by the fifth year. Sensible heat flux increased by 10–20% for the first few years after the fire and then decreased. Latent heat flux slightly decreased after the fire, causing the Bowen ratio to increase by ca. 50% for 7 years post-fire. The CO 2 flux was reduced for the 15-year period after fire with the greatest reduction to ca. 25% of control areas during the year following fire. However, diurnal and annual data are needed to determine the total impact of fire on the boreal-forest carbon balance.