Holdover fire explained

In wildfires, a holdover fire, or overwintering fire is a peat fire which persists from year to year.

Fires

Such fires typically occur in Arctic tundra, smouldering during the winter under the snow and then becoming more intense during the summer.

A study conducted 2002–2018 in Alaska and the Northwest Territories found that this type of fire burned only 0.8% of the total area burned by all types of fires and that this type of fire caused only 0.5% of the total carbon emissions released by all types of fires.^[1]

During the summer of 2019, such fires were estimated to have generated 173 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, with an estimate of 244 million tonnes from January to August 2019. The smoke and soot from such fires darkens the region, so contributing to further warming and further fires. The loss of peat is also a loss of a store for . Images from satellites such as Sentinel-2 have been used to identify such hot spots.

See also

• Arctic methane emissions
• Climate change
• Polar amplification

Further reading

• Web site: 'Zombie fires' smolder under the snow during the winter then rise from the dead come spring. They may get far more common. . Aylin Woodward . 22 May 2021 . Business Insider .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kann. Drew. 19 May 2021. 'Zombie fires' are already smoldering in the Arctic. They could become more common as the planet warms. 19 May 2021. CNN.