Question

With reference to Zombie Fire, consider the following statements:

1. It is a peat fire which persists from year to year inside the Arctic Circle.
2. They are limited to the regions with Tundra vegetation.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2​

Answer 1

Option A - 1 Only

• Statement 2 is incorrect :-They are not limited to regions with Tundra vegetation.

■ Explanation :-

• Zombie Fire is a fire from a previous growing season that can smoulder under the ground which is made up of carbon-rich peat. When the weather warms, the fire can reignite. These are also known as holdover fires.

• The reason for Zombie fires is that, due to the climate change the temperatures in winter and spring were warmer than usual during 2019-20.

○ Temperature in Siberia in 2020 had gone through the roof, with the region recording a severe heatwave.

○ Nearly all of this year’s fires inside the Arctic Circle occurred on continuous permafrost, with over half of these burning on ancient carbon-rich peat soils.

• The tundra is drying up and vegetation there like moss, grass, dwarfs shrubs, etc are starting to catch fire. These fires in the Arctic spreading to areas which were formerly fire-resistant is a more worrying feature. However, they are not limited to regions with Tundra vegetation.

Hope It helps you