Ancient wildfire study offers warning for a warming world

New research from the University of Aberdeen has revealed that periods of global warming can trigger long-lasting increases in wildfire activity, with ecosystems taking far longer to recover than previously thought. The study, recently published in Scientific Reports, provides the first detailed evidence of how wildfires responded to a major natural warming event around 65 million years ago, the Danian hyperthermal. This work offers important insights into the risks facing today's world as climate change drives more frequent and severe fires.