Zombie Fires Are a Strange, Rare Phenomenon That Is Threatening the Environment
Jennifer Leman
Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that can identify zombie fires that smolder in Arctic, carbon-rich peat soils.
Zombies fires (also known as overwintering or holdover fires) that burn through peat-laden soil can release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Understanding the conditions that lead to these fires can help fire managers target resources at the beginning of the fire season.
The searing summer heat that fuels piping-hot wildfires in northern boreal forests may be the mystery cause of a strange, rare phenomenon: zombie fires. These undead blazes smolder deep underground in carbon-rich peat soils, and then reignite months later.