Title: Smoldering Peatland Wildfire under Climate Change

Speaker: Associate Professor Xinyan Huang (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University)

Time: 15:00–16:00, Monday, November 2, 2026

Venue: Meeting Room 412, Building 29, Wushan Campus

Organizer: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering

Abstract：Smoldering fires in peatlands are the largest combustion process and longest-lasting fire phenomena on Earth. These mega-scale underground peat fires can irreversibly destroy ecosystems, produce regional haze events, and contribute to about 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Peat fires are the most persistent fire on Earth that can survive in heavy rains and cold Arctic, while their dynamics under climate change are still poorly understood. Studying the combustion fundamentals behind smoldering wildfires not only guides us to reduce the natural fire hazards, but also brings scientific tools to geophysics, ecology, and biology to understand the evolution of Earth and biota. This talk will share the latest research outcomes about smoldering wildfires in peatlands and our new challenges under climate change.