Wildfires are devastating the city of Los Angeles, fuelled by a perfect storm of dry conditions and intense mountain winds. In this episode of Beyond the Ice, we break down the weather and climate factors behind this ongoing disaster. Climate scientist Dr Ella Gilbert and ice core expert Dr Thomas Bauska explain how our changing climate is making such disasters more frequent and intense, and discuss what needs to be done to adapt to this new reality.

We also take a step back to look at what new research into ice cores has recently revealed about major wildfires in Earth’s ancient past. How did scientists find out about wildfires that took place thousands of years ago? And can this tell us anything about the relationship between major climate shifts and wildfire events?

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Beyond the Ice helps you unpack the latest news in climate science with the experts at British Antarctic Survey. Our planet is changing at a rate and scale unlike anything seen in human history - and Earth's frozen places are the front line. After all, what happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica.

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Beyond the Ice is edited and presented by Em Newton.