Dimensions of the 2020 wildfire catastrophe in the Pantanal wetland: the case of the municipality of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used the mapping of areas affected by fires made from the detections of active fire collected by the VISible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor and available by the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED).
Abstract: In 2020, a total of 3.9 million hectares were burned in the Pantanal biome, which represents approximately 30% of its total area. Of the three existing biomes in the state of Mato Grosso, the Pantanal was the most impacted and, among all the municipalities in Mato Grosso, Pocone had the largest burned area. We aimed to characterize the areas affected by fires in the municipality of Pocone in 2020 to support prevention and adaptation actions in future scenarios. For this, we used the mapping of areas affected by fires made from the detections of active fire collected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor and available by the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED). The results showed that a total of 869,170 hectares were burned in Pocone in 2020. Of this total, 97.3% were in natural areas, viz. forest formations (37%), savanna (2.8%), grassland formations (23.4%), wetlands (29.7%), and vegetation in dried-up rivers and lakes (4.4%). Concerning land categories, almost half of the fires occurred in private rural properties registered in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR). In this scenario, we highlighted the importance of monitoring fires and holding those responsible for them accountable. It is also important to implement preventive actions in synergy with managers and local communities as a way of adapting to the climate crisis, intense drought, and less water surface available in the region, which increases the risk and damage of fires.
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TL;DR: In this article , As, Ni, and Pb were found to be an important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace elements (TEs) to environmental compartments and thus may pose a risk to human health and to the ecosystem.
Abstract: Wildfires have increased in the last years and, when caused by intentional illegal burnings, are frequently run out of control. Wildfire has been pointed out as an important source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace elements (TEs) — such as, As, Ni, and Pb — to environmental compartments, and thus may pose a risk to human health and to the ecosystem. In 2020, the Brazilian biome, Pantanal, faced the largest losses by wildfires in the last 22 years. Ashes from the topsoil layer in Pantanal were collected after these wildfires at 20 sites divided into the sediment, forest, PF, PS, and degraded sites. Toxicity and associated risks for human health were also evaluated. The areas highly impacted by wildfires and by artisanal gold mining activities showed higher concentrations for TEs and PAHs than the protected areas. Pb varied from 8 ± 4 to 224 ± 81 mg kg−1, and total PAH concentration ranged between 880 ± 314 and 1350 ± 70 ng g−1, at sites impacted by anthropogenic activities. Moreover, health risk assessments for TE and PAH indicated a potentially great risk for children and adults, via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal pathway. The carcinogenic risks exceeded reference values, for both TE and PAH, suggesting harmful conditions, especially for vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined changes in the diversity of aquatic macrophyte communities over a ten-year period based on surveys taken in 2008 and 2018 and evaluated the possible indirect relation of changes in rainfall patterns, which in turn affect lateral hydrological connectivity and limnological variables that directly affect the composition and productivity of the aquatic microphyte community.
1 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors evaluated the effect of prescribed burnings carried out in 2021 on three macrohabitats (M1: natural grassland flooded with a proliferation of Combretum spp.
Abstract: The controlled use of fires to reduce combustible materials in prescribed burning helps to prevent the occurrence of forest fires. In recent decades, these fires have mainly been caused by anthropogenic activities. The study area is located in the Pantanal biome. In 2020, the greatest drought in 60 years happened in the Pantanal. The fire affected almost one third of the biome. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of prescribed burnings carried out in 2021 on three macrohabitats (M1: natural grassland flooded with a proliferation of Combretum spp., M2: natural grassland of seasonal swamps, and M3: natural grassland flooded with a proliferation of Vochysia divergens) inside the SESC Pantanal Private Natural Heritage Reserve. Multispectral and thermal data analyses were conducted with remotely piloted aircraft systems in 1 ha plots in three periods of the dry season with early, mid, and late burning. The land use and land cover classification indicate that the predominant vegetation type in these areas is seasonally flooded grassland, with percentages above 73%, except in zone three, which has a more diverse composition and structure, with the presence of arboreal specimens of V. divergem Pohl. The pattern of the thermal range showed differentiation pre- and post-burning. The burned area index indicated that fire was more efficient in the first two macrohabitats because they are natural grasslands, reducing the grass species in the burnings. Early and mid prescribed burnings are a good option to reduce the continuous accumulation of dry forest biomass fuel material and help to promote landscape heterogeneity. The use of multispectral sensor data with high spatial/spectral resolution can show the effects of fires, using highly detailed scales for technical decision making.
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TL;DR: A novel approach and the results achieved by a multi-disciplinary network called MapBiomas to reconstruct annual land use and land cover information between 1985 and 2017 for Brazil, based on random forest applied to Landsat archive using Google Earth Engine are described.
Abstract: Brazil has a monitoring system to track annual forest conversion in the Amazon and most recently to monitor the Cerrado biome. However, there is still a gap of annual land use and land cover (LULC) information in all Brazilian biomes in the country. Existing countrywide efforts to map land use and land cover lack regularly updates and high spatial resolution time-series data to better understand historical land use and land cover dynamics, and the subsequent impacts in the country biomes. In this study, we described a novel approach and the results achieved by a multi-disciplinary network called MapBiomas to reconstruct annual land use and land cover information between 1985 and 2017 for Brazil, based on random forest applied to Landsat archive using Google Earth Engine. We mapped five major classes: forest, non-forest natural formation, farming, non-vegetated areas, and water. These classes were broken into two sub-classification levels leading to the most comprehensive and detailed mapping for the country at a 30 m pixel resolution. The average overall accuracy of the land use and land cover time-series, based on a stratified random sample of 75,000 pixel locations, was 89% ranging from 73 to 95% in the biomes. The 33 years of LULC change data series revealed that Brazil lost 71 Mha of natural vegetation, mostly to cattle ranching and agriculture activities. Pasture expanded by 46% from 1985 to 2017, and agriculture by 172%, mostly replacing old pasture fields. We also identified that 86 Mha of the converted native vegetation was undergoing some level of regrowth. Several applications of the MapBiomas dataset are underway, suggesting that reconstructing historical land use and land cover change maps is useful for advancing the science and to guide social, economic and environmental policy decision-making processes in Brazil.
473 citations
University of Exeter1, National Institute for Space Research2, University of Oxford3, Lancaster University4, Stockholm Resilience Centre5, National Center for Atmospheric Research6, National Nuclear Energy Commission7, University of Leeds8, Earth System Research Laboratory9, California Institute of Technology10
TL;DR: It is shown that gross emissions from forest fires are more than half as great as those from deforestation during drought years, which means that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process.
Abstract: Tropical carbon emissions are largely derived from direct forest clearing processes. Yet, emissions from drought-induced forest fires are, usually, not included in national-level carbon emission inventories. Here we examine Brazilian Amazon drought impacts on fire incidence and associated forest fire carbon emissions over the period 2003–2015. We show that despite a 76% decline in deforestation rates over the past 13 years, fire incidence increased by 36% during the 2015 drought compared to the preceding 12 years. The 2015 drought had the largest ever ratio of active fire counts to deforestation, with active fires occurring over an area of 799,293 km2. Gross emissions from forest fires (989 ± 504 Tg CO2 year−1) alone are more than half as great as those from old-growth forest deforestation during drought years. We conclude that carbon emission inventories intended for accounting and developing policies need to take account of substantial forest fire emissions not associated to the deforestation process.
450 citations
TL;DR: This work compared current amphibian extinction rates with their reported background extinction rates using standard and fuzzy arithmetic, and suggested that the current extinction rate of amphibians could be 211 times the background amphibians extinction rate.
Abstract: Amphibian declines and extinctions are critical concerns of biologists around the world. The estimated current rate of amphibian extinction is known, but how it compares to the background amphibian extinction rate from the fossil record has not been well studied. I compared current amphibian extinction rates with their reported background extinction rates using standard and fuzzy arithmetic. These calculations suggest that the current extinction rate of amphibians could be 211 times the background amphibian extinction rate. If current estimates of amphibian species in imminent danger of extinction are included in these calculations, then the current amphibian extinction rate may range from 25,039–45,474 times the background extinction rate for amphibians. It is difficult to explain this unprecedented and accelerating rate of extinction as a natural phenomenon.
272 citations
TL;DR: The Pantanal wetland is a Biosphere Reserve and is considered a wetland of international importance as discussed by the authors, but only 2.5% of the upper Paraguai River basin is formally protected.
Abstract: : The Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on the planet, comprises 140,000 km2 of lowland floodplain of the upper Rio Paraguai basin that drains the Cerrado of central Brazil. The diverse mosaics of habitats resulting from the varied soil types and inundation regimes are responsible for an extraordinarily rich terrestrial and aquatic biota, exemplified by the bird richest wetland in the world—463 birds have been recorded there—and the largest known populations of several threatened mammals, such as Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), and jaguar (Panthera onca). Until recently, deforestation of the adjoining Brazilian central plateau was considered the major threat to this area, but now deforestation is a critical problem within the floodplain itself. More than 40% of the forest and savanna habitats have been altered for cattle ranching through the introduction of exotic grasses. And there are other threats that lead to large-scale disruption of ecological processes, severely affecting biodiversity. Although the Pantanal wetland is a Biosphere Reserve and is considered a Wetland of International Importance, only 2.5% of the upper Paraguai River basin is formally protected. To date, protected areas have been created opportunistically and as such, although of undoubted value, protect only a fraction of the Pantanal's wildlife and habitats. Among the conservation initiatives in the area, the private sector is increasingly participating in the establishment of private reserves. The prospects are far from optimistic, however, and the major challenge is to find alternative socioeconomic models that allow for conservation and economic uses of the land in association with the development of specific environmental legislation that reflects the unique characteristics of the region.
Resumen: El Pantanal, 140,000 km2 de llanura inundable de la cuenca alta del Rio Paraguai que drena el Cerrado en el centro de Brasil, es uno de los humedales mas extensos del planeta. Los diversos mosaicos de habitats que resultan de diversos tipos de suelo y regimenes de inundacion son responsables de una biota terrestre y acuatica extraordinariamente rica, ejemplificada por el humedal con mayor riqueza de aves en el mundo – se han registrado 463 especies de aves – y las mayores poblaciones conocidas de varios mamiferos amenazados, como el venado de las Pampas (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), el venado de pantano (Blastocerus dichotomus), la nutria gigante (Pteronura brasiliensis) y el jaguar (Panthera onca). Hasta hace poco, la deforestacion de la meseta central Brasilena adyacente era considerada como la mayor amenaza a esta area, pero ahora la deforestacion es un problema critico dentro de la misma llanura inundable. Mas de 40% de habitats de bosque y sabana han sido alterados para produccion de ganado mediante la introduccion de pastos exoticos. Y hay otas amenazas que conducen a la disrupcion de los procesas ecologicos a gran escala que afectan severamente a la biodiversidad. Aunque el humedal del Pantanal es una Reserva de la Biosfera y es considerado un Humedal de Importancia Internacional, solo 2.5% de la cuenca alta del Rio Paraguai esta protegido formalmente. A la fecha, las areas protegidas han sido creadas oportunisticamente y por lo tanto, aunque de valor indudable, solo protegen a una fraccion de la vida silvestre y habitats del Pantanal. Entre las iniciativas de conservacion del area, el sector privado esta incrementando su participacion en el establecimiento de reservas privadas. Sin embargo, las perspectivas estan lejos de ser optimistas y el mayor reto es encontrar modelos socioeconomicos alternativos que permitan la conservacion y utilizacion economica de tierras en asociacion con el desarrollo de legislacion ambiental especifica que refleje las caracteristicas unicas de la region.
219 citations
TL;DR: The Global Fire Atlas as mentioned in this paper is a new dataset that tracks the dynamics of individual wildfires to determine the timing and location of ignitions, fire size and duration and daily expansion, fire line length, speed, and direction of spread.
Abstract: . Natural and human-ignited fires affect all major
biomes, altering ecosystem structure, biogeochemical cycles and atmospheric
composition. Satellite observations provide global data on spatiotemporal
patterns of biomass burning and evidence for the rapid changes in global fire
activity in response to land management and climate. Satellite imagery also
provides detailed information on the daily or sub-daily position of fires
that can be used to understand the dynamics of individual fires. The Global
Fire Atlas is a new global dataset that tracks the dynamics of individual
fires to determine the timing and location of ignitions, fire size and
duration, and daily expansion, fire line length, speed, and direction of spread.
Here, we present the underlying methodology and Global Fire Atlas results for
2003–2016 derived from daily moderate-resolution (500 m) Collection 6
MCD64A1 burned-area data. The algorithm identified 13.3 million individual
fires over the study period, and estimated fire perimeters were in good
agreement with independent data for the continental United States. A small
number of large fires dominated sparsely populated arid and boreal
ecosystems, while burned area in agricultural and other human-dominated
landscapes was driven by high ignition densities that resulted in numerous
smaller fires. Long-duration fires in boreal regions and natural
landscapes in the humid tropics suggest that fire season length exerts a
strong control on fire size and total burned area in these areas. In arid
ecosystems with low fuel densities, high fire spread rates resulted in
large, short-duration fires that quickly consumed available fuels.
Importantly, multiday fires contributed the majority of burned area in all
biomass burning regions. A first analysis of the largest, longest and
fastest fires that occurred around the world revealed coherent regional
patterns of extreme fires driven by large-scale climate forcing. Global Fire
Atlas data are publicly available through http://www.globalfiredata.org (last access: 9 August 2018) and https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1642 , and
individual fire information and summary data products provide new
information for benchmarking fire models within ecosystem and Earth system
models, understanding vegetation–fire feedbacks, improving global emissions
estimates, and characterizing the changing role of fire in the Earth system.
194 citations