Researchers tracked wildfires from 1984 to 2022; a Pacific trend added 22% to US Southwest drying-related burned area but reduced eastern Australia’s by about 19%
Representative Image (AI-generated) A long-term shift in the tropical Pacific Ocean has played contrasting roles in wildfire activity on opposite sides of the world, amplifying fire-prone conditions in the southwestern United States while easing them in eastern Australia. According to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, the Pacific Ocean pattern increased drying-related…