Wildfires: A Symptom Of Climate Change Hampton VA (SPX) Sep 29,
2010 This summer, wildfires swept across some 22 regions of
Russia, blanketing the country with dense smoke and in some
cases destroying entire villages. In the foothills of Boulder,
Colo., this month, wildfires exacted a similar toll on a smaller
scale. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of
wildfires large and small are underway at any given time across
the globe. Beyond the obvious immediate health effects, this
"biomass" burning is part of the equation for global warming. In
northern latitudes, wildfires actually are a symptom of the
Earth's warming. 'We already see the initial signs of climate
change, and fires are part of it," said Dr. Amber Soja, a
biomass burning expert at the National Institute of Aerospace
(NIA) in Hampton, Va. And research suggests that a hotter Earth
resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and
larger fires. The fires release "particulates" - tiny particles
that become airborne - and greenhou