Yufang Jin’s analysis of climate change impacts on Santa Ana and non-Santa Ana fires was published in Environmental Research Letters. News coverage included description of the study in the Los Angeles Times and on the KCET website. The goal of the study was to improve our understanding of the economic impacts of fires in Southern California and the influence of climate change on future fire dynamics. Jin used high resolution meteorology and fire data to separate Southern California wildfires into those occurring during periods with and without Santa Ana winds over the last 5 decades. She then used MODIS satellite imagery to assess differences in fire behavior, and other datasets to assess differences in fire damages, economic impacts, and future change.
Jin found Santa Ana and non-Santa Ana fires burn about the same area, yet Santa Ana fires inflict about 3-10 times more damage. Fire suppression costs were about the same for the two fire types, raising the question of resource allocation and whether more resources are needed to fight Santa Ana fires. Another important finding is that climate change will cause summers to become drier and warmer by mid-century, yielding larger non-Santa fires and more regional burned area. Jin is now an assistant professor at UC Davis.