Climate change a big factor in persistent wildfires: Professor

According to an expert onwildland fires, Saskatchewan's smoky skies and persistent blazes can be largely attributed to climate change.

MikeFlanniganis a professor in the department of renewable resources at the University of Alberta.

A former weather forecaster with Environment Canada, Flannigan says climate change is contributing to a lazy jet stream, effectively decreasing the energy needed to create rain and wet conditions.

"Normally, a low pressure system comes through every three to five days, giving us rain andkeepingthe fireproblemin check," he said.

What's supposed to be "a strongband of wind that carries alow and high pressure system," with two different spheres of temperature that create high energy,is more like a lazy, "meandering river," he said.

That's happening because of climate change.

• By the numbers: north Saskatchewan's wildfires

"As the earth warms, northern areas are warming faster than theequatorial [southern] areas. So the difference between the temperaturesis less [between north and south areas].

"Jetstreamenergyfrom temperature difference is weaker," Flannigan explained.

Less energy means fewer opportunities for sustained rain and showers, and that contributes to dryer conditions, he said.

That, combined with two other factors fuel and ignition haveturned out to be the trifectaforthis year's fires.

The province's boreal forest, trees, shrubs and many dried out twigs and pine needles all act as the fuel; frequent lightning strikes act as the ignition.

Looking to the future, Flannigan said he expects thecurrent trend to continue.

"If the studies we've done are any reflection of the truth, then yes, we can expect longer fire seasons, earlier fire seasons, burning longer into the fall."

"Not every year. Some years we'll be cool and wet, but we'llhave years like this that become more frequent in the future, and it's because we have warmer temperatures," he said.