On the contrary, moderate, and low-intensity fires are vital for healthy ecosystems. Jones and Ayars emphasized that their research is not stating that wildfires inherently destroy wildlife habitat. Large wildfires burned less habitat where birds and reptiles of conservation concern live than researchers expected. The long-term effects of fire on the salamander are uncertain.Īlthough the research findings are unsettling, there is hopeful news. The long-toed salamander faced high-severity fire across 14 percent of its range, which was more than any other species. One hundred species contended with fire in more than 10 percent of their habitat, including great gray owls, Pacific martens, wolverines, northern rubber boas, and other species of concern. Out of more than 600 species, 50 species experienced fire in 15 to 30 percent of their geographic range. It took Jones and Ayars about a year to compile their research findings, and the results are sobering. Geological Survey photo by Marcus Rehrman) This required some fancy computer footwork. Piecing all this information together, like a jigsaw puzzle, they formed a picture of what was happening to wildlife on the ground. The researchers then overlaid the species data with the location and size of an area burned, factoring in fire severity levels. These models use statistical methods to determine where species most likely live based on their habitat preferences. Jones and Ayars combed through the state’s wildlife database, looking at the geographic range of species and species habitat suitability models. “California is ideal for this research because their Department of Fish and Wildlife has an extensive database on hundreds of species.” “We wanted to get a 30,000-foot view of what was happening to 600 species,” said Jones. Their efforts focused on how wildlife contended with extreme wildfires in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascades, and Klamath Mountains. Jones and fellow researcher, Jessalyn Ayars, made it their mission to find out. 9, 2020.Forest Service ecologist Jessalyn Ayars surveys for American pikas, a climate-impacted species, in Glacier National Park. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Right, A pedestrian takes in the view from Embarcadero through smoky skies in San Francisco on Sept. Left, A Man talks on his phone at the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., Wednesday, June 7, 2023. “It builds up, the impacts become more severe, particularly for those who have conditions already like heart conditions, respiratory conditions,” said Tina Landis, Public Information Officer with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The longer it remains, the worse the health effect. It’s also important to keep track of how long bad air sits over the area. Other parts of Northern California closer to the fires registered in the hazardous range.īut experts say you shouldn’t just focus on how high the AQI number gets. It was the worst air day of 2020 in the Bay Area, as shown in the map below. At the time, that was categorized as “very unhealthy,” just one rung below the “hazardous” designation. Philadelphia fared relatively better, at a still astoundingly high AQI of 226.ĭuring the 2020 wildfire season, the Bay Area AQI measure reached a regional peak of 218 in Oakland on Sept. According to experts, it’s unhealthy to go outside at anything above an AQI of 151.Īs of Wednesday afternoon, (as the map below shows) the AQI in Queens, New York, reached a shocking 407, which was categorized as “hazardous.” Bridgeport, Connecticut, also hit “hazardous” air quality, at 313. The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures for particulate matter that is polluting the air on a scale of 0 to 500. And in 2020, the bad air shut down everything from horse racing at Golden Fields to Alcatraz tours. Sound familiar, Bay Area? Back in 2018, during the deadly Camp Fire, Cal and Berkeley postponed the Big Game. On Wednesday, the smoke was so bad, New York City schools shut down outdoor activities, Major League Baseball canceled the Yankees’ game in New York, and the Phillies’ game in Philadelphia and the WNBA called off an indoor women’s basketball game in Brooklyn. jQAXK6E2Miīut it may be awhile - and it’s spreading throughout the Eastern Seaboard. Remember when the Bay Area was Blade Runner 2049 in 2020? You'll be ok, NY. “Remember when the Bay Area was Blade Runner 2049 in 2020?” tweeted one San Franciscan.
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