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Siberian Journal of Forest Science

2018 year, number 4

THE NATURE OF STEPPE FIRES IN SIBERIA AND MONGOLIA

E. N. Valendik1, Ye. K. Kisilyakhov1, E. I. Ponomarev1,2, I. V. Kosov1, A. I. Lobanov3, Ch. Dugarjav4
1V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Akademgorodok, 50/28, Krasnoyarsk, 660036 Russian Federation
2Unified Regional Centre for Remote Sensing of the Earth of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Akademgorodok, 50/45, Krasnoyarsk, 660036 Russian Federation
3Scientific Research Institute of Agrarian Problems of Khakassia, P.O. Box 709, Abakan, Khakass Republic, 655019 Russian Federation
4Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Zhukova, 77, Ulaanbaatar, 210351 Mongolia
Keywords: катастрофические степные пожары, аномальные погодные условия, сельхозпалы, геопространственная интерполяция, спутниковые данные, catastrophic steppe fires, abnormal weather conditions, agricultural burns, geospatial interpolation, satellite data

Abstract

The nature of catastrophic steppe fires in Siberia, which in recent decades have been spread over thousands of hectares each year, leading to economic losses, and losses of lives and livestock, is being considered. The paper follows spring (March-May) steppe and forest-steppe fires using satellite monitoring data. In the 10-year time interval of 2008-2017 a positive logarithmic trend in annual burned area of steppe fires has been identified. The trend in the number of fires is characterized by periodic variations in relation to the average values, which do not seem to increase. It has been shown that in today’s context the occurrence and spread of catastrophic steppe fires in Siberia are determined by the anomalies of hydrometeorological conditions. Also, natural and anthropogenic factors that cause the occurrence and spread of steppe fires are analyzed. A system of prevention is discussed, as well as technological solutions for the protection of settlements and facilities. It is proposed to focus attention not only on the immediate control of fires and the elimination of their effects, but also on the implementation of comprehensive preventive measures to aim at specific economic targets. As an example a technology is proposed to construct fire control barriers that would prevent the spread of steppe fires and scattering of burning particles to residential and structural settlements. These measures should have a positive effect on the national economy by significantly reducing the cost of rebuilding settlements after fires, saving lives, livestock and infrastructure.