Alaskan wildfires have destroyed an area over 25 times larger than New York City. And they could be contributing to global warming
![The Tsirku River winds through forest as seen in an aerial view near Haines, in southwestern Alaska October 7, 2014. REUTERS/Bob Strong (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT TRAVEL)](https://assets.weforum.org/article/image/large_at3IoFDwv1YIrpuW4iQ9JE2cz2-19ceHbW3tsrWeT1g.jpg)
Image: REUTERS/Bob Strong
![A hand holding a looking glass by a lake](/uplink.jpg)
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Future of the Environment
Over 5 million acres of Alaskan forest was burned in wildfires last year – more than 25 times the area of New York City. But scientists now believe the increasing frequency of these fires is not just a side effect of global warming – it could actually be driving the problem.
Cold Alaskan temperatures mean the state’s boreal forests, peat-rich tundra, and permafrost are capable of storing large amounts of carbon. The Guardian reports that Alaska – which represents 18% of the US land mass – holds around 53% of the country’s carbon. However, when wildfires destroy areas that are holding carbon, more carbon is released into the atmosphere.
This dramatic photo from September shows the extent of the fires is even visible from space.
![The state of Alaska is seen in a combination of NASA false-color satellite images taken with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer June 14 (L) and September 1, 2015. The darkened red areas (R) show burn scars across the state. The Alaska fire season reached another milestone on August 7 by surpassing the 5-million- mark in the number of acres burned so far this season, according to a NASA news release. A total of 743 fires have burned 5,013,053 acres to date, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center's daily situation report on August 7. Pictures taken June 14, 2015 and September 1, 2015. REUTERS/NASA/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - RTX1QYKQ](https://assets.weforum.org/editor/T4KHuPcpWe7CK4wI7u5IyrB6JFKcrcMvCFRqBEnFGcY.jpg)
A vicious spiral
2015 was a record year - in terms of total number - for wildfires in Alaska, and US Geological Survey (USGS) researchers are voicing concerns.
“Our scientists found that the balance of carbon storage versus release in Alaska was strongly linked with wildfire,” said Virginia Burkett, chief climate scientist at the USGS. “In years where there was high wildfire activity the net carbon balance decline dramatically, and then it would rebuild in the absence of fire.”
![Smoke from an out of control wildfire partially blocks the sun over Willow Lake, near Willow, Alaska, in this picture courtesy of Mat-Su Borough taken June 14, 2015. People living in homes between mile 72 and mile 77 of the Parks Highway in Willow have been given evacuation notices due to the Sockeye Fire, which has burned 6,500 acres, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry. Picture taken June 14, 2015. REUTERS/Mat-Su Borough/Stefan Hinman/Handout](https://assets.weforum.org/editor/SbtIcepmb6RCMci7HJDUJv3gjqnjmB498EweaHj6rhg.jpg)
The report highlights the risk to ecosystems such as Alaska's, due to higher temperatures, more wildfires and permafrost thaw. In effect, a vicious circle is created, as a warming planet causes more carbon to be released, which in turn contributes to further warming.
![The Bogus Creek Fire burns in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Alaska, in this Alaska Division of Forestry picture taken June 7, 2015. The 25,260-acre fire was started by lightning on May 31st, according to a forestry news release. REUTERS/Matt Snyder/Alaska Division of Forestry/Handout FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS](https://assets.weforum.org/editor/k0S9tLB7aVHi8shvNkHfRwvGeqzvar_pVBZ5M5RO8gw.jpg)
As this image from June last year shows, the scale of the challenge faced by the authorities was colossal. In just one seven-day stretch in June, 295 fires were started by lightning alone. By the end of the month, over 3,000 personnel were assigned to fire incidents.
In total, 2015 saw 766 fires and 5,144,880 acres were burned according to the Alaskan Interagency Coordination Center.
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