Land-Atmosphere Interaction Responses of Burn Scar Heat Islands: A Case Study of the 2018 Camp Fire

Research on the effects of wildfire-induced changes in land use and land cover (LULC) on atmospheric processes is limited. This study presents a thorough analysis using satellite remote sensing and numerical modeling to examine how land-atmosphere interactions have been altered by the burn scar from the 2018 Camp Fire event in California. Satellite data reveals significant changes in surface characteristics affecting land-atmosphere interactions, such as land cover type, vegetation fraction (-0.12), albedo (+0.01), daytime temperature (+2.5 K), and roughness length (>-90%). Numerical modeling, based on satellite-derived LULC change scenarios, indicates notable shifts in net radiation (-0.2 MJ m-2), sensible heat flux (+15Wm-2), diurnal temperature range (+5%), mesoscale circulation patterns, and rainfall patterns. The influence on cloud formation and rainfall is heightened by the fire scar's occurrence in complex terrain, with implications for water resource management and assessing drought-flood risks in fire-prone areas.