scholarly journals Observed and expected changes in wildfire-conducive weather and fire events in peri-urban zones and key nature reserves of the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 33-54
Author(s):  
M Trnka ◽  
J Balek ◽  
M Možný ◽  
E Cienciala ◽  
P Čermák ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Projected Change

Recent drought and a surge in days with weather conditions conducive to wildfire occurrence during 2015-2019 reminded the Czech Republic that it is not immune to this type of natural hazard. Although Central Europe has not been at the center of such events, observed climate data and climate projections suggest a tendency toward more years with wet and mild winters and dry and hot summers. To fill the existing knowledge gap, we used an ensemble of 9 fuel aridity metrics, including 3 dedicated fire weather indices, and evaluated their level of agreement with actual fire occurrence and their temporal trends. The analysis included peri-urban zones of the 36 largest cities and towns in the Czech Republic (home of 3.8 million inhabitants) and the 29 largest protected areas (covering 13.7% of the territory). Fire weather climatology, based on both the Fire Weather Index and the Forest Fire Danger Index, agreed well with the long-term frequency of fires both in peri-urban zones and within protected areas. Future projections based on regional and global model ensembles indicated a significant increase in fuel aridity and an increase in the area affected by fire-conducive conditions both around urban areas and within protected regions. In particular, the area affected by days with very high risk fire weather conditions is likely to increase significantly relative to the past 60 yr. However, the magnitude of the projected change depends to a large degree on the selected fire weather metric and whether RCM- or GCM-based scenarios are used.

scholarly journals Comparison of Methods for the Assessment of Fire Danger in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 1285-1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
František Jurečka ◽  
Martin Možný ◽  
Jan Balek ◽  
Zdeněk Žalud ◽  
Miroslav Trnka
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Forest Fire ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Fire Danger ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Fire Danger Indices

The performance of fire indices based on weather variables was analyzed with a special focus on the Czech Republic. Three fire weather danger indices that are the basis of fire danger rating systems used in different parts of the world were assessed: the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI), Australian Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) and Finnish Forest Fire Index (FFI). The performance of the three fire danger indices was investigated at different scales and compared with actual fire events. First, the fire danger indices were analyzed for different land use types during the period 1956–2015. In addition, in the analysis, the three fire danger indices were compared with wildfire events during the period 2001–2015. The fire danger indices were also analyzed for the specific locality of the Bzenec area where a large forest fire event occurred in May 2012. The study also focused on the relationship between fire danger indices and forest fires during 2018 across the area of the Jihomoravský region. Comparison of the index values with real fires showed that the index values corresponded well with the occurrence of forest fires. The analysis of the year 2018 showed that the highest index values were reached on days with the greater fire occurrence. On days with 5 or 7 reported fires per day, the fire danger indices reached values between 3 and 4.

scholarly journals Past and future trends in fire weather for the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Charles Perry ◽  
Emilie Vanvyve ◽  
Richard A. Betts ◽  
Erika J. Palin
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Historical Period ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
The Uk

Abstract. Past and future trends in the frequency of high danger fire weather conditions have been analysed for the UK. An analysis of satellite-derived burned area data from the last 18 years has identified the seasonal cycle with a peak in spring and a secondary peak in summer, the high level of interannual variability, and the lack of a significant trend despite some large events occurring in the last few years. These results were confirmed with a longer series of fire weather indices back to 1979. The Initial Spread Index (ISI) has been used for spring, as this reflects the moisture of fine fuel surface vegetation, whereas conditions conducive to summer wildfires are hot, dry weather reflected in the moisture of deeper organic layers which is encompassed in the Fire Weather Index (FWI). Future projections are assessed using an ensemble of regional climate models from the UK Climate Projections, combining variables to derive the fire weather indices. The results show a large increase in hazardous fire weather conditions in summer. At 2 °C global warming relative to 1850–1900, the frequency of days with “very high” fire danger is projected to double compared to a recent historical period. This frequency increases by 5 times at 4 °C of global warming. Smaller increases are projected for spring, with a 150 % increase for England at 2 °C of global warming and a doubling at 4 °C. A particularly large projected increase for late summer and early autumn suggests a possible extension of the wildfire season, depending on fuel availability. These results suggest that wildfire can be considered an “emergent risk” for the UK, as past events have not had widespread major impacts, but this could change in future. The large increase in risk between the 2 °C and 4 °C levels of global warming highlights the importance of global efforts to keep warming below 2 °C.

scholarly journals The Assessment of Level of Flash Floods Threat of Urbanised Areas

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 519-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavla Štěpánková ◽  
Miroslav Dumbrovský ◽  
Karel Drbal
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Flood Risk Assessment ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Eu Directive ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Technical Measures

Flash floods (or torrential rain flooding) is another type of flood hazard which has caused casualties and significant property damages. A methodology for identification of urban areas, which can potentially be burdened by that type of flood hazard, was proposed. This method, also called Method of Critical Points (CP), is a repeatable process able to identify areas, which are significant in terms of formation of surface run‑off and erosion. As addition to the preliminary flood risk assessment according to EU Directive 2007/60/ES on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks, the presented methodology was applied for the entire area of the Czech Republic and the results are being used for the updating of non‑technical measures, e.g. urban planning. In the article, the principles of methodology of CP are described and results of the first application in the Czech Republic are presented, as well as possible interpretations of them.

scholarly journals La procedencia, a escala local, de los inmigrantes extranjeros en España a finales del siglo XX

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Aguilera Arilla ◽  
María Pilar González Yanci
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Destination Country ◽  
General Idea ◽  
Place Of Birth ◽  
Place Of Residence ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Siglo Xx

El artículo propone la utilización de los registros consulares, como fuente de investigación imprescindible para el estudio pormenorizado del origen y destino de los inmigrantes extranjeros en nuestro país. Dictia fuente es la única que recoge, a escala local, el lugar de nacimiento y el de procedencia, según el último domicilio del país de origen, así como su lugar de residencia en el país de destino. Del estudio de las fuentes consulares de la República Checa, Eslovaquia y Bulgaria, se obtiene la idea general de que existe una mayor procedencia urbana de los inmigrantes, a pesar de no ser países con alto porcentaje de población urbana.This article proposes the use of consular records as a source of investigation essential to tfie detailed study of the origin and destination of foreign immigrants in our country. The mentioned source is the only one that provides, on a local stage, the place of birth and origin, according to the last address in the native country, as well as the place of residence in the destination country. By studying consular sources from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, we obtain the general idea that immigrants come mainly from urban áreas, although those countries do not have a high percentage of urban population.

Enough is enough… Can various legislative tools cause ambiguities when applied in a single area? (Case study: Hády Hill, Brno, Czech Republic)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Kubalíková
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Earth Science ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Management Measures

<p>Establishing legal protection to a geosite (or geodiversity site) is considered one of the key tools of how to conserve its values and how to avoid degradation and devastation. The proper management measures (usually included in care plans or other planning and strategic documentation) then help to balance the conservation needs and sustainable use of the sites and allow to gain public finances for these purposes.</p><p>In the Czech Republic, nature conservation is anchored in Act n. 114/1992 Coll. (Nature Conservation Act) which defines several levels of protected areas that can be applied also on geoheritage. However, there are other legislative tools that protect other entities (e.g. agricultural land, water, or forests). The special relationship to geodiversity has Act n. 44/1988 Coll. (Mining Act) which aims to protect the mineral deposits including their deposit areas. Various tools for the protection applied to a single area can cause ambiguities because every protected entity has different management and limitations.</p><p>This is the case of Hády Hill, an area situated in the outskirts of Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. The area is important from the Earth Science point of view (tectonics, paleontology, geomorphology, stratigraphy, hydrogeology) and has high ecological and cultural values, e.g. occurrence of endangered species linked to the subsoil, remnants of old landscape structures (orchards, pastures), historical mining, use of the building material for Brno monuments. Earth-science and ecological values are protected according to Nature Conservation Act within one National Nature Reserve, two Nature Monuments, and four Important Landscape Elements and partly included in Special Area of Conservation (according to the Habitats Directive - Council Directive 92/43/EEC). Moreover, due to the occurrence of quality limestone, which was extracted from the Middle Ages up to the end of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, the part of the study area is declared as a reserved mineral deposit and protected deposit area (according to Mining Act). All these areas mutually overlap.</p><p>Concerning geoheritage, some phenomena still have no degree of protection, but they are included in the Database of Geological Localities (kept by the Czech Geological Survey) and proposed for legal protection.</p><p>Last but not least, the site undergoes tourist and recreational pressure which is continuously increasing due to the COVID-19 situation (lack of indoor possibilities of how to spend the free time).</p><p>To find the balance between the various conservation needs, management measures, limitations, tourist/recreation pressure, and urban development, it was necessary to do a complex analysis of the various types of protected areas and their values. Based on the SWOT analysis and Risk Assessment, the main threats, risks, and possible conflicts of interest were identified and assessed. Then, specific proposals and possible solutions were designed with an emphasis on effective geoconservation (e.g. declaration of the new or enlarging the currently protected areas), development of sustainable forms of tourism, and future rational use of an area (e.g. via volunteer activities or participative planning of management).</p>

scholarly journals Forecasting system for infection risk of phoma stem canker in selected regions of the Czech Republic in 2009–2011 

2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Poslušná ◽  
E. Plachká
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Leaf Spot ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Stem Canker ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Phoma Stem Canker ◽  
Ascospore Release ◽  
Forecasting System

In the period 2009&ndash;2011 monitoring of the incidence of phoma stem canker was carried out at selected sites of the Czech Republic (&Scaron;umperk and Opava regions in North Moravia). The risk of infection was evaluated by assessing the autumn release of&nbsp;Leptosphaeria&nbsp;spp. ascospores and with the proPlant prediction model. In recent years, the incidence of phoma stem canker has been relatively low and this corresponded with the total count of ascospores released in the autumn period but not with an increased level of infection risk announced by the proPlant model. During the monitored period the ascospore concentration reached maximally 2 ascospores/1 m<sup>3</sup>&nbsp;per day. Maximum ascospore release was recorded in 2010 as a result of favourable weather conditions. The first incidence of phoma leaf spot has been observed in mid-October. The higher values of ascospores concentration were recorded in the Opava region, but the total number of the trapped ascospores was more often higher in the &Scaron;umperk region.&nbsp;

scholarly journals Verification of WRF modelled fire weather in the 2009–10 New Zealand fire season

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Simpson ◽  
H. G. Pearce ◽  
A. P. Sturman ◽  
P. Zawar-Reza
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Model Error ◽  
Dew Point ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Fire Weather Index ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Weather Stations

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model was used to simulate the fire weather conditions for the 2009–10 wildland fire season in New Zealand. The suitability of WRF to simulate the high-end fire weather conditions for this period was assessed through direct comparison with observational data taken from 23 surface and two upper-air stations located across New Zealand. The weather variables and fire weather indices considered in the verification were the 1200 hours NZST air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, 24-h rainfall, New Zealand Fire Weather Index (FWI) and Continuous Haines Index (CHI). On observed high-end fire weather days, the model under-predicted the air temperatures and relative humidities, and over-predicted the wind speeds and 24-h rainfall at most weather stations. The results demonstrated that although WRF is suitable for modelling the air temperatures, there are issues with modelling the wind speeds and rainfall quantities. The model error in the wind speeds and 24-h rainfall contributed significantly towards the model under-prediction of the FWI on observed high-end fire weather days. In addition, the model was not suitable for predicting the number of high-end fire weather days at most weather stations, which represents a serious operational limitation of the WRF model for fire management applications. Finally, the modelled CHI values were only in moderate agreement with the observed values, principally due to the model error in the dew point depression at 850hPa.

Notes on the genus Taraxacum in Slovakia. I. Taraxacum sect. Hamata: a new group of dandelions in Slovakia

Biologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohumil Trávníček ◽  
Radim Vašut
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
The Past ◽  
Species Descriptions ◽  
S Poland

AbstractThe hamate dandelion section (Taraxacum sect. Hamata H. Øllg.) represents a morphologically tight group of taxa, distributed in the oceanic and sub-oceanic regions of Europe. In Central Europe, it is mostly confined to freshly moist meadows, as well as places in the shade within urban areas. The known distribution area in Europe until now extended towards the E part of the Czech Republic and S Poland. During the past six years, we have discovered an additional eleven localities of hamate dandelions in NW and N Slovakia, which represents a corrected south-eastern limit for the distribution area of this section. In this paper, we discuss seven recognized taxa (T. boekmanii, T. fusciflorum, T. hamatiforme, Taraxacum hamatum, T. lamprophyllum, T. pseudohamatum, and T. quadrans). We provide a determinative key to the Slovakian hamate dandelions, brief species descriptions, comments on their distribution, a distribution map of the section in Slovakia, as well as images of all of the newly found species.

scholarly journals Demographic potential in functional areas of the selected medium-sized cities in Poland and the Czech Republic

GeoScape ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Obrębalski
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Population Problem ◽  
Functional Area ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Functional Areas ◽  
Lower Silesia

Abstract The article presents the population problem of urban functional area around selected medium-sized cities in Poland and the Czech Republic. Research work refers to six cities (on the Polish side - Jelenia Góra, Legnica and Wałbrzych – located in Lower Silesia region; on the Czech side - Hradec Králové, Liberec and Ústí nad Labem). These core cities with suburban areas co-create the functional urban areas with varied demographic structure and development dynamics. In the analysed period, the population growth was observed only in Liberec. The largest total population among studied areas refers also to Liberec functional urban area. The population in suburban areas of the examined Polish and Czech cities is relatively younger than in the core cities. Functional approach for development of urban areas founding depart from perception of demographic problem and challenges only by prism of administrative borders becomes more important.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document