Christopher I. Roos
The Guardian: Weatherwatch: Hotter, drier summers may mean more forest fires
The research of SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos was covered by the United Kingdom’s widely read newspaper The Guardian.
In his August 10 “Weatherwatch” column, “Hotter, drier summers may mean more forest fires,” science journalist David Hambling discussed the record-breaking megafires burning now in New Mexico. Continue reading
CBS This Morning: Heat Wave Headaches and SMU Fire Research
The research of SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos was covered June 12 by CBS This Morning‘s science and environmental contributor M. Sanjayan.
Sanjayan, who is lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy, discussed the record-breaking megafires burning now in New Mexico and referenced new ancient fire research by Roos. Continue reading
Climate Central: New Mexico Wildfire Now a Record-Setting ‘Megafire’
The research of SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos was covered by the popular Climate Central blog. In a June 2 entry, Climate Central science journalist Andrew Freedman wrote about the record-breaking megafires burning now in New Mexico and referenced new ancient fire research by Roos. The study by Roos found that U.S. megafires in the U.S. Southwest region are unique and exceptional for the past 1,500 years. Continue reading
UPI: U.S. megafires put down to human activity
The new ancient fire research of SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos was covered by the international wire service United Press International. In a May 18 entry, UPI reported that Roos found that U.S. megafires in the U.S. Southwest region are unique and exceptional when compared to the past 1,500 years. Continue reading
Ancient tree-ring records from southwest U.S. suggest today’s megafires are truly unusual
Today’s mega forest fires of the southwestern U.S. are truly unusual and exceptional in the long-term record, suggests a new study that examined hundreds of years of ancient tree ring and fire data from two distinct climate periods, says study co-author and fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos, SMU. Continue reading
Researchers collaborate to study human-fire-climate interactions in New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains
Southern Methodist University anthropologist Christopher I. Roos is a member of an interdisciplinary team of researchers examining how humans in the Southwest have responded to changes in the surrounding forests over multiple centuries, including forest fires and climate. The research is funded by a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
The project is about forest fire history, fuels and forests, how human activities have changed them, and the influence of drought and dry conditions. Continue reading