Articles | Volume 26, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5697-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5697-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 27 Apr 2026
Elevational dependence of global forest fires and associated aerosol optical depth: drivers and decoupling
Qiaomin Pei
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Disaster Risk Reduction, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Satellite Applications, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Xingchuan Yang
College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
Annan Chen
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Short summary
Using satellite observations from 2012 to 2024, we assessed global patterns of forest fire activity and smoke and examined how elevation influences these patterns. Fire occurrence has increased slightly and mainly produces fine particles. Fires are most frequent at low elevations, while smoke is greater at mid-elevations due to lifting and terrain transport. These findings show that topography strongly shapes fire impacts and improves wildfire risk and climate assessment.
Using satellite observations from 2012 to 2024, we assessed global patterns of forest fire...
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