21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions

Luiz E. O. C. Aragão (), Liana O. Anderson, Marisa G. Fonseca, Thais M. Rosan, Laura B. Vedovato, Fabien H. Wagner, Camila V. J. Silva, Celso H. L. Silva Junior, Egidio Arai, Ana P. Aguiar, Jos Barlow, Erika Berenguer, Merritt N. Deeter, Lucas G. Domingues, Luciana Gatti, Manuel Gloor, Yadvinder Malhi, Jose A. Marengo, John B. Miller, Oliver L. Phillips and Sassan Saatchi
Additional contact information
Luiz E. O. C. Aragão: National Institute for Space Research
Liana O. Anderson: National Centre for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters - Cemaden (CEMADEN)
Marisa G. Fonseca: National Institute for Space Research
Thais M. Rosan: National Institute for Space Research
Laura B. Vedovato: National Institute for Space Research
Fabien H. Wagner: National Institute for Space Research
Camila V. J. Silva: National Institute for Space Research
Celso H. L. Silva Junior: National Institute for Space Research
Egidio Arai: National Institute for Space Research
Ana P. Aguiar: National Institute for Space Research
Jos Barlow: Lancaster University
Erika Berenguer: University of Oxford
Merritt N. Deeter: Atmospheric Chemistry and Observations Laboratory
Lucas G. Domingues: National Institute for Space Research
Luciana Gatti: National Institute for Space Research
Manuel Gloor: University of Leeds
Yadvinder Malhi: University of Oxford
Jose A. Marengo: National Centre for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters - Cemaden (CEMADEN)
John B. Miller: University of Colorado Boulder
Oliver L. Phillips: University of Leeds
Sassan Saatchi: California Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02771-y

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