Tracking and classifying Amazon fire events in near real time.
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Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 35905176.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.abd2713 and PMC identifier 9337759.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Exceptional fire activity in 2019 sparked concern about Amazon forest conservation. However, the inability to rapidly separate satellite fire detections by fire type hampered fire suppression and assessment of ecosystem and air quality impacts. Here, we describe the development of a near-real-time approach for tracking contributions from deforestation, forest, agricultural, and savanna fires to burned area and emissions and apply the approach to the 2019 fire season in South America. Across the southern Amazon, 19,700 deforestation fire events accounted for 39% of all satellite active fire detections and the majority of fire carbon emissions (63%; 69 Tg C). Multiday fires accounted for 81% of burned area and 92% of carbon emissions from the Amazon, with many forest fires burning uncontrolled for weeks. Most fire detections from deforestation fires were correctly identified within 2 days (67%), highlighting the potential to improve situational awareness and management outcomes during fire emergencies.