Weekly cycles of global fires—Associations with religion, wealth and culture, and insights into anthropogenic influences on global climate

Earl, Nick; Simmonds, Ian; Tapper, Nigel

doi:10.1002/2015gl066383

Cited by 36Atmospheric aerosols and cloudsFire effects on ecosystemsAtmospheric chemistry and aerosols

Weekly cycles of global fires—Associations with religion, wealth and culture, and insights into anthropogenic influences on global climate

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Earl, Nick, Simmonds, Ian, Tapper, Nigel·2015·Geophysical Research Letters

DOI 10.1002/2015gl066383

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Abstract

One approach to quantifying anthropogenic influences on the environment and the consequences of those is to examine weekly cycles (WCs). No long‐term natural process occurs on a WC so any such signal can be considered anthropogenic. There is much ongoing scientific debate as to whether regional‐scale WCs exist above the statistical noise level, with most significant studies claiming that anthropogenic aerosols and their interaction with solar radiation and clouds (direct/indirect effect) is the controlling factor. A major source of anthropogenic aerosol, underrepresented in the literature, is active fire (AF) from anthropogenic burning for land clearance/management. WCs in AF have not been analyzed heretofore, and these can provide a mechanism for observed regional‐scale WCs in several meteorological variables. We show that WCs in AFs are highly pronounced for many parts of the world, strongly influenced by the working week and particularly the day(s) of rest, associated with religious practices.

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A similar cultural signal has been shown globally, with fewer wildfires on Sundays than on other weekdays.
“A similar cultural mark has also been demonstrated globally with a marked decline in wildfires on Sunday compared with other weekdays (41).”
From Human-started wildfires expand the fire niche across the United States (2017) · cites this paper as [41]

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Earl, N., Simmonds, I. & Tapper, N. (2015). Weekly cycles of global fires-Associations with religion, wealth and culture, and insights into anthropogenic influences on global climate. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 42 (21), pp.9579-9589. https:// doi.org/10.1002/2015GL066383. Persistent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11343/116465

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Authors: Earl, N., Simmonds, I., & Tapper, N.
Affiliations: The University of Melbourne (AU)
Monash University (AU)
Corresponding author: Earl, Nick
ORCID: Earl, Nick
Simmonds, Ian
Tapper, Nigel
Venue: Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Published: 2015-11-14
Volume: 42
Issue: 21
Pages: 9579-9589
ISSN: 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
1944-8007
DOI: 10.1002/2015gl066383
OpenAlex: W2263207195
Cited by: 36
References: 52
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3
FWCI: 1.91
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Licence: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations: Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion)
Funders: Australian Research Council (DP130103562)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Fire effects on ecosystems
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Keywords: weekly cycle, anthropogenic aerosols, anthropogenic climate influence, fire hotspots, land clearing, religious practice, working week, solar radiation, cloud interaction

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