Impact of drought on wildland fires in Greece: implications of climatic change?

摘要: An increasing trend and a statistically significant positive correlation between wildfire occurrence, area burned drought (as expressed by the Standardized Precipitation Index, SPI) have been observed all over Greece, during period 1961–1997. In more humid colder regions (Northern Western Greece) number of fires were positively correlated to both summer (SPI6_October) annual (SPI12_September), whereas in relatively dry hot (Southern Central only drought. 1978, Greece entered prolonged drought, possibly as result global climatic change. Data analysis 1978–1997 revealed increase mean fires, episodes Western) (which past characterized less burned) compared Eastern Greece), which always presented high fire activity. Additionally, analyzing two sub-periods (1961–1977, 1978–1997) separately, was significantly occurrence years 1961–1977, mainly burned. It became obvious that episodes, although they are not solely responsible for burned, exert an increasingly impact on activity Greece.