Alaskan Wildfires , Precede Potentially Devastating , Global Fire Season .<br />Fox reports that over 530 wildfires have <br />already torn through parts of Alaska this year, <br />burning an area roughly the size of Connecticut.<br />Fox reports that over 530 wildfires have <br />already torn through parts of Alaska this year, <br />burning an area roughly the size of Connecticut.<br />According to the report, <br />the worst of the annual <br />fire season still lays ahead. .<br />Long term forecasts show a pattern <br />similar to 2004, when a devastating fire season <br />burned 10,156 square miles of Alaska. .<br />Long term forecasts show a pattern <br />similar to 2004, when a devastating fire season <br />burned 10,156 square miles of Alaska. .<br />The frequency of these big seasons <br />has doubled from what it was in <br />the second half of the 20th century. <br />And there’s no reason to think<br /> that’s not going to continue, Rick Thoman, Climate specialist with the Alaska Center <br />for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University <br />of Alaska’s International Arctic Research Center.<br />Fox reports that heat waves and <br />droughts have been exacerbated <br />by the world's warming climate.<br />As a consequence, destructive wildfires <br />have become more frequent and harder <br />to combat or even control.<br />In 2022, wildfires have already spread through <br />Portugal, Spain, France, England and Germany, <br />which have all experienced record-high temperatures.<br />In 2022, wildfires have already spread through <br />Portugal, Spain, France, England and Germany, <br />which have all experienced record-high temperatures.<br />In Alaska, early snow melt preceded <br />a largely rain-free June leading to dry <br />conditions ideal for sparking wildfires.<br />There’s been a significant increase <br />in the amount of fuel available, and <br />that’s from decades of warmer springs <br />and summers in the region, <br />direct result of a warming climate, Rick Thoman, Climate specialist with the Alaska Center <br />for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University <br />of Alaska’s International Arctic Research Center.<br />And, of course, fires with <br />more fuels available burn hotter. <br />They burn longer. They’re more <br />resistant to changes in weather, Rick Thoman, Climate specialist with the Alaska Center <br />for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University <br />of Alaska’s International Arctic Research Center
