Relationship between lightning discharges and hotspots for the territory of Western Siberia during 2016-2021

Considering the increasing attention to fire activity worldwide driven by global climate change and the lack of knowledge on natural fires in Western Siberia, the estimation of the spatial and temporal variability of lightning-ignited wildfires in different landscapes, appears relevant from this point of view. Early it was revealed that areas of hotspots and lightning activity most often coincide in the southwestern part of the territory (near Khanty-Mansiysk and Tyumen), in the mountain regions (Kuznetsk Alatau, Altai), and in the northern part of Kazakhstan. Despite the largest number of fires in the south of the territory, the probability of ignition from lightning over the whole warm season is higher in the northern parts of Western Siberia; it reaches up to 30%.

The present study aims to analyze quantitative estimates of the relationship between lightning activity and natural fires in Western Siberia from 2016 to 2021.

The study is based on the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) and The Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) for the warm (May–September) season for different natural zones of West Siberia.