Climate experts say this year’s fires are the product of a combination of long-term climate change and short-term ignition forces.
The milestone was driven by large and plentiful fires in a region of the state that, until recently, had only modest burning – the tundra-rich delta in southwestern Alaska that lies between the lower Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River.near the Yup’ik village of St. Mary’s, sparked by lightning on May 31, is among the biggest tundra fires on record in Alaska.
This year’s early burning is notable for its location, said Thoman and other experts who pointed to the large number and size of Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta fires.“Something obviously different is happening,” echoed Nancy Fresco, a research professor with UAF’sThere were wildfires there in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the past, she said, but there has been a jump since 2015, statistics show. “It is burning becoming much more frequent, now with larger areas burned, very recently,” she said.
Short-term forces included a lot of lightning that sparked fires in tundra areas where snow vanished early in the spring, she said.
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