Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta , Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1, Canada.
Environ Sci Technol. 2014 Aug 19;48(16):8936-43. doi: 10.1021/es500130g. Epub 2014 Jul 28.
In many parts of the world, forests provide high quality water for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and ecological needs, with water supplies in those regions inextricably linked to forest health. Wildfires have the potential to have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems and community drinking water supply through impacts on water quantity and quality. In recent decades, a combination of fuel load accumulation, climate change, extensive droughts, and increased human presence in forests have resulted in increases in area burned and wildfire severity-a trend predicted to continue. Thus, the implications of wildfire for many downstream water uses are increasingly concerning, particularly the provision of safe drinking water, which may require additional treatment infrastructure and increased operations and maintenance costs in communities downstream of impacted landscapes. A better understanding of the effects of wildfire on water is needed to develop effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to protect globally critical water supplies originating in forested environments.
在世界上许多地区，森林为家庭、农业、工业和生态需求提供高质量的水，这些地区的水供应与森林健康息息相关。野火有可能通过对水量和水质的影响，对水生生态系统和社区饮用水供应造成破坏性影响。近几十年来，燃料负荷的积累、气候变化、广泛的干旱以及森林中人类活动的增加，导致了燃烧面积的增加和野火的严重程度——这一趋势预计将持续下去。因此，野火对许多下游用水的影响越来越令人担忧，特别是安全饮用水的供应，这可能需要在受影响景观下游的社区增加额外的处理基础设施和运营维护成本。为了制定有效的适应和缓解策略来保护源自森林环境的全球重要水资源，我们需要更好地了解野火对水的影响。
