LANDSAT-BASED FIRE SEVERITY MAPPING: IMPLICATIONS OF INTERVAL-SCALED DATA FOR FIRE BOUNDARY LOCATION AND FIRE HISTORY ANALYSIS

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Frequency, patchiness and intensity of tropical savanna fires: analysis using field data and remote sensing

Publication . Oliveira, Sofia Luísa de Jesus; Pereira, José Miguel Cardoso; Russell-Smith, Jeremy; Maier, Stefan

In tropical savannas, one of the most fire-prone biomes on Earth, fire management is a continuous and iterative process that can only be effectively achieved with thorough consideration of fire regimes. Based on remotely sensed imagery and in-situ field data, key fire regime components were assessed for tropical savannas of northern Australia (frequency, patchiness, intensity, and severity) and Brazil (frequency). The discrete lognormal model was found to be the best method for modelling fire frequency in tropical savannas, and demonstrated that fire frequency is very high in both countries. In northern Australia, fire patchiness was lower in the late dry season, characterized by shorter and fewer unburned patches, than in the early dry season. Fire intensity and severity were highest in the late dry season. The observed temporal differences are consistent with the hypothesis that climate is the main driver of fire regime seasonality. Fuel load and fuel continuity explained fire regime differences between vegetation types. Fire season was bimodal, with peaks in May and October, related to periods of anthropogenic fire and optimal fire weather conditions. Prescribed burning in the early dry season can increase the patchiness and reduce the intensity of late dry season fires, with substantial benefits for biodiversity and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions

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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Número da atribuição

SFRH/BD/44846/2008