Modeling the Monthly Distribution of MODIS Active Fire Detections from a Satellite-Derived Fuel Dryness Index by Vegetation Type and Ecoregion in Mexico

The knowledge of the effects of fuel dryness on fire occurrence is critical for sound forest fire management planning, particularly in a changing climate. This study aimed to analyze the monthly distributions of MODIS active fire (AF) detections and their relationships with a fuel dryness index (FDI...

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Published in:Fire (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2024-01, Vol.7 (1), p.11
Main Authors: Vega-Nieva, Daniel José, Nava-Miranda, María Guadalupe, Briseño-Reyes, Jaime, López-Serrano, Pablito Marcelo, Corral-Rivas, José Javier, Cruz-López, María Isabel, Cuahutle, Martin, Ressl, Rainer, Alvarado-Celestino, Ernesto, Burgan, Robert E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aridity
Biodiversity
Climate change
Ecosystems
Environmental aspects
False alarms
fire occurrence
Forest & brush fires
Forest fires
Forest management
Fuel
fuel moisture
Fuels
Geospatial data
hotspots
Management planning
Meteorological satellites
MODIS
Monthly distribution
NDVI
Owls
Precipitation
relative greenness
Tropical forests
Vegetation
Vegetation type
Vegetation zones
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Summary:The knowledge of the effects of fuel dryness on fire occurrence is critical for sound forest fire management planning, particularly in a changing climate. This study aimed to analyze the monthly distributions of MODIS active fire (AF) detections and their relationships with a fuel dryness index (FDI) based on satellite-derived weather and vegetation greenness. Monthly AF distributions showed unimodal distributions against FDI, which were described using generalized Weibull equations, fitting a total of 19 vegetation types and ecoregions analyzed in Mexico. Monthly peaks of fire activity occurred at lower FDI values (wetter fuels) in more hygrophytic ecosystems and ecoregions, such as wet tropical forests, compared to higher fire activity in higher FDI values (drier fuels) for the more arid ecosystems, such as desert shrublands. In addition, the range of fuel dryness at which most monthly fire activity occurred was wider for wetter vegetation types and regions compared to a narrower range of fuel dryness for higher monthly fire occurrence in the more arid vegetation types and ecoregions. The results from the current study contribute towards improving our understanding of the relationships between fuel dryness and fire occurrence in a variety of vegetation types and regions in Mexico.
ISSN:2571-6255
2571-6255
DOI:10.3390/fire7010011