<
https://theconversation.com/after-the-smoke-clears-a-wildfires-legacy-can-haunt-rivers-for-years-putting-drinking-water-at-risk-259118>
"Picture a wildfire raging across a forested mountainside. The smoke billows
and the flames rise. An aircraft drops vibrant red flame retardant. It’s a
dramatic, often dangerous scene. But the threat to water supplies is only just
beginning.
After the smoke clears, the soil, which was once nestled beneath a canopy of
trees and a spongy layer of leaves, is now exposed. Often, that soil is charred
and sterile, with the heat making the ground almost water-repellent, like a
freshly waxed car.
When the first rain arrives, the water rushes downhill. It carries with it a
slurry of ash, soil and contaminants from the burned landscape. This torrent
flows directly into streams and then rivers that provide drinking water for
communities downstream.
As a new research paper my colleagues and I just published shows, this isn’t a
short-term problem. The ghost of the fire can haunt these waterways for years.
This matters because forested watersheds are the primary water source for
nearly two-thirds of municipalities in the United States. As wildfires in the
western U.S. become larger and more frequent, the long-term security and safety
of water supplies for downstream communities is increasingly at risk."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
