[PCA] STUDY: Increases in Wildfire-Caused Erosion Could Impact Water Supply and Quality in the West

[De Angelis, Patricia]

A growing number of wildfire-burned areas throughout the western United
States are expected to increase soil erosion rates within watersheds,
causing more sediment to be present in downstream rivers and reservoirs,
according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Larger and more frequent wildfires throughout the western United States are
expected to increase soil erosion rates, resulting in more sediment in
downstream rivers and reservoirs. This study of the relationship between
climate change, future wildfires and soil erosion, and effects on
ecosystems suggests potential negative impacts on water quality and supply
for some communities.

CLIMATE, WILDFIRE, AND EROSION ENSEMBLE FORETELLS MORE SEDIMENT IN WESTERN
USA WATERSHEDS
Joel B. Sankey, Jason Kreitler, Todd J. Hawbaker, Jason L. McVay, Mary
Ellen Miller, Erich R. Mueller, Nicole M. Vaillant, Scott E. Lowe, Temuulen
T. Sankey
Geophysical Research Letters 44, doi:10.1002/2017GL073979.

ABSTRACT:
The area burned annually by wildfires is expected to increase worldwide due
to climate change. Burned areas increase soil erosion rates within
watersheds, which can increase sedimentation in downstream rivers and
reservoirs. However, which watersheds will be impacted by future wildfires
is largely unknown. Using an ensemble of climate, fire, and erosion models,
we show that postfire sedimentation is projected to increase for nearly
nine tenths of watersheds by >10% and for more than one third of watersheds
by >100% by the 2041 to 2050 decade in the western USA. The projected
increases are statistically significant for more than eight tenths of the
watersheds. In the western USA, many human communities rely on water from
rivers and reservoirs that originates in watersheds where sedimentation is
projected to increase. Increased sedimentation could negatively impact
water supply and quality for some communities, in addition to affecting
stream channel stability and aquatic ecosystems.

USGS Press Release:
https://www.usgs.gov/news/increases-wildfire-caused-erosion-could-impact-water-supply-and-quality-west-2
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