Context

Fire scientists are warning of ‘zombie fires‘, or holdover fires, in the Arctic, an area not known for large fires or substantial fire fuel.

About

What are Zombie fires?

• Zombie fires occur when a fire from a previous year smolders in carbon-rich peat (organic fuel) underground during the winter, then re-ignite on the surface as the weather warms and the ground thaws the next season.
  
• This can lead to even more burning the following year.
• The process is made worse as peat and permafrost, both carbon sinkswhich act to hold and store carbon, now become a carbon source.
• Emissions increase as both the burning of vegetation andburning of peat/permafrost release CO2 into the atmosphere, furthering our planet’s warming.

Why is a 'zombie fire' dangerous?

• Zombie fires are part of a dangerous "feedback loop".
• The growing number of extreme wildfires in the Arctic are unprecedented in the past 10,000 years.
• These fires can burn underground for years, thawing permafrost and releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, creating feedback loops resulting in accelerated warming and more thawing permafrost.
• The combination of wildfires and permafrost thaw can cause loss of life, landslides, floods, and coastal erosion threatening Arctic communities, infrastructure and wildlife.

What needs to be done?

• Proper understanding: There is need to understand the nature of fires in the Arctic which are evolving and changing rapidly.
• International cooperation: There is also an urgent need for global cooperation, investment and action in monitoring fires.
• Traditional learning: The study called for learning from the indigenous peoples of the Arctic about how fire was traditional used.
• New approaches: New permafrost- and peat-sensitive approaches to wildland fire fighting are needed to save the Arctic.