When it rains: The hidden impact of wildfire
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEz7JE39WRI&feature=youtu.be]
The costs of wildfires extend far beyond the burn zone. Wildfires can heat soil to temperatures up to 1,000º F (550º C), releasing higherÌýconcentrations of carbon, nitrogen and other organic materials from the soil. When rain falls, those contaminants can be carriedÌýinto nearby watersheds,Ìýincreasing concentrationsÌýby up to 700%. Downstream, municipal utilities must then spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra filtration costs to make the water safe to drink. Contaminant levels can remain elevated after a fire for up to 15 years.
91¸£ÀûÉç engineering professor and EVEN ¶Ù¾±°ù±ð³¦³Ù´Ç°ùÌýFernando Rosario-OrtizÌýis working with CIRES researcherÌýBen LivnehÌýon a way to model this phenomenon in order to provide more accurate and actionable information to the public. Together with their students, they've collaborated on a rainfall simulator, which can mimic the way that rain carries organic runoff away from burned vegetation.
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