Overview of fire foci causes and locations in Brazil based on meteorological satellite data from 1998 to 2011

Abstract

We evaluated the distribution, percentage, and homogeneous regions of fire foci in Brazil over 1998-2011. Included are numbers of fire foci by regions and states as well as their seasonal and monthly variations, with emphasis on human activities and their relationships with producing systems and rainfall inhibitors. We used data from forest fire meteorological satellites, obtained from the Centro de Previsão do Tempo e Estudos Climáticos. Evaluation of regional fire foci distributions gave 37.15 % for the central west and just 1.75 % in the south. Brazilian regions with the highest densities of forest fires per unit area were the northeast, central west, and north. Lowest densities were in the north, southeast, and south. The states of Mato Grosso, Pará, Maranhão, Bahia, Rondônia, and Tocantins had the greatest numbers of fire foci during our study period. The Federal District and the states of Sergipe, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, and Alagoas had the smallest numbers. Spring (62.2 %) and winter (28.7 %) had higher frequencies than summer (6.7 %) and autumn (2.7 %). A clustering technique showed three homogeneous regions of fire foci in Brazil. The regional grouping technique showed the influence of synoptic systems and large-scale patterns of fires in the country. In addition to the use of NOAA-12 satellite images for monitoring Brazilian fire foci, orbital platforms such as MMODIS-01D and T-AQUA can be used. Finally, anthropogenic activities (deforestation, agriculture, livestock, mining, and industrial) and the variability of meteorological systems affected the fire increase during the study period.

Focos de Calor na Mata Atlântica do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

“…Os incên-dios florestais e as queimadas no Brasil ultrapassaram o período colonial, chegando aos dias atuais e tornando-se um padrão cultural independente da região (Caúla et al, 2015). A partir daí, a prática de utilizar o fogo em limpeza de pastos, preparo de plantios, desmatamentos e conversão de florestas em pastagens se tornou prática comum em todo o território nacional (Aximoff e Rodrigues, 2011;Fernandes et al, 2011;Gois et al, 2016).…”

“…Uma prática secular adotada em nosso país é o uso do fogo sem controle, para limpeza de grandes áreas, em atividades agropastoris, principalmente nas regiões Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste (Caúla et al, 2015). Os incêndios florestais e queimadas podem se originar de forma natural, acidental ou criminosa (Fernandes et al, 2011), além de sua ocorrência poder ser intensificada e mesmo influenciada pelos modos de variabilidade climática El Niño-Oscilação Revista Brasileira de Meteorologia, v. 32, n. 4, [669][670][671][672][673][674][675][676][677]2017 rbmet.org.br DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0102-7786324014 Artigo Autor de correspondência: José Francisco de Oliveira Júnior, joliveirajunior@gmail.com.…”

“…Os incêndios florestais provocam perda de superfície de ecossistemas, de espécies de flora e fauna, seguidas da modificação do clima, gerando um ambiente cada vez menos sadio para as populações, com agravamento das doenças respiratórias (Silva de Souza et al, 2012). Além disso, os incêndios florestais são um dos grandes fatores de emissão de Gases do Efeito Estufa (GEE), seguido pelo agravamento da inclusão de blackcarbon e aerossóis na atmosfera local e remota (Swetnam e Anderson, 2008;Caúla et al, 2015). Os incêndios florestais naturais têm início em função das condições meteorológi-cas propícias (período prolongado de estiagem, temperaturas altas e baixa umidade do ar) (Armenteras-Pascuala, 2011; Gois et al, 2016).…”

Cluster analysis identified rainfall homogeneous regions in Tocantins state, Brazil

“…In an attempt to establish spatial patterns for the meteorological variables, the cluster analysis (CA) is the most used in literature on classification processes (JACKSON;WEINAND, 1995;CAÚLA et al, 2015). CA technique consists of determining the similarity or dissimilarity level between individuals through the application of a clustering function to a given variable and Ward's (1963) algorithm has been widely used in climatological studies with satisfactory results (MACEDO et al 2010;OLIVEIRA et al 2010).…”

Space-time variability of vegetation by orbital platforms in the western Amazon

“…The deforestation spatial distribution in the Amazon can be associated with two interrelated factors: (i) due to the roads opening influence and appearing of development centers in the occupation process encouraged by the federal government in recent decades (ALVES et al, 1999;ALVES, 2002), (ii) land use concentration processes or expansion of new areas of deforestation associated with intensification/land abandonment e aumento de incêndios florestais e queimadas na região (ALVES et al, 2003;ALVES, 2007;CAÚLA et al, 2015).…”