Dynamics of Fire Foci in the Amazon Rainforest and Their Consequences on Environmental Degradation

Helvécio de Oliveira Filho, José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior, Marcos Vinícius da Silva, Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim, Munawar Shah, João Paulo Assis Gobo, Claudio José Cavalcante Blanco, Luiz Claudio Gomes Pimentel, Corbiniano da Silva, Elania Barros da Silva, Thelma de Barros Machado, Carlos Rodrigues Pereira, Ninu Krishnan Modon Valappil, Vijith Hamza, Mohd Anul Haq, Ilyas Khan, Abdullah Mohamed and El-Awady Attia
Additional contact information
Helvécio de Oliveira Filho: Postgraduate Program in Biosystems Engineering Department (PGEB), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói 24210-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior: Postgraduate Program in Biosystems Engineering Department (PGEB), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói 24210-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Marcos Vinícius da Silva: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manoel de Medeiros avenue, SN, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, Brazil
Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim: Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manoel de Medeiros avenue, SN, Dois Irmãos, Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, Brazil
Munawar Shah: Department of Space Science, GNSS and Space Education Research Lab, National Center of GIS and Space Applications, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
João Paulo Assis Gobo: Department of Geography, Federal University of Rondônia–UNIR, Porto Velho 76812-020, Rondônia, Brazil
Claudio José Cavalcante Blanco: School of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering, Federal University of Pará–FAESA/ITEC/UFPA, Av. Augusto Corrêa, 01, Belém 66075–110, Pará, Brazil
Luiz Claudio Gomes Pimentel: Department of Meteorology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 23897-000, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Corbiniano da Silva: Civil Engineering Program, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-909, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Elania Barros da Silva: Postgraduate Program in Biosystems Engineering Department (PGEB), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói 24210-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Thelma de Barros Machado: Postgraduate Program in Biosystems Engineering Department (PGEB), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói 24210-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carlos Rodrigues Pereira: Postgraduate Program in Biosystems Engineering Department (PGEB), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói 24210-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ninu Krishnan Modon Valappil: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 1226, São Paulo 055508-090, SP, Brazil
Vijith Hamza: Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, Thiruvananthapuram 695033, Kerala, India
Mohd Anul Haq: Department of Computer Science, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
Ilyas Khan: Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Mathematics, College of Science Al-Zulfi, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Mohamed: University Research Centre, Future University in Egypt, New Cairo 11745, Egypt
El-Awady Attia: Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj 16273, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: Burns are common practices in Brazil and cause major fires, especially in the Legal Amazon. This study evaluated the dynamics of the fire foci in the Legal Amazon in Brazil and their consequences on environmental degradation, particularly in the transformation of the forest into pasture, in livestock and agriculture areas, mining activities and urbanization. The fire foci data were obtained from the reference satellites of the BDQueimadas of the CPTEC/INPE for the period June 1998–May 2022. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and exploratory statistical analysis, followed by a comparison with the PRODES data during 2004–2021, the DETER data (2016–2019) and the ENSO phases during the ONI index for the study area. Biophysical parameters were used in the assessment of environmental degradation. The results showed that El Niño’s years of activity and the years of extreme droughts (2005, 2010 and 2015) stand out with respect to significant increase in fire foci. Moreover, the significant numbers of fire foci indices during August, September, October and November were recorded as 23.28%, 30.91%, 15.64% and 10.34%, respectively, and these were even more intensified by the El Niño episodes. Biophysical parameters maps showed the variability of the fire foci, mainly in the south and west part of the Amazon basin referring to the Arc of Deforestation. Similarly, the states of Mato Grosso, Pará and Amazonas had the highest alerts from PRODES and DETER, and in the case of DETER, primarily mining and deforestation (94.3%) increased the environmental degradation. The use of burns for agriculture and livestock, followed by mining and wood extraction, caused the degradation of the Amazon biome.

Keywords: wildfire; environmental satellites; amazon biome; agricultural activities; biophysical parameters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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