Fire outbreaks in extreme climate years in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract

AbstractPlant burning in tropical countries is a threat to the environment. It not only damages the local ecology but also affects the economy and society. This work aimed to analyze the meteorological systems, soil attributes, and meteorological variables derived from NCEP‐DOE Reanalysis 2 for 3 years of atypical climatic events (2005, 2010, and 2015); and relate these factors to the occurrence of fire outbreaks in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2005, a total of 1,085 fire outbreaks were registered in the State, and most of them occurred during the dry season in the soil classes ultisol (542) and oxisol (139). The highest fire outbreaks concentration was reported in 2010, totaling 1, 702 outbreaks, and Argissolo and Latossolo (747 and 301, respectively) were also the most predominant soil classes. This fact can be explained by the greater predominance of pastures and greater area in km2 in the State. In 2015, the highest number of fire outbreaks was recorded, again, in Argissolo (418), in addition to Gleissolo (102). The total number of fire outbreaks registered in 2015 was lower than those recorded in 2005 and 2010, totaling 916 fire outbreaks statewide. The correlation shows maximum positive values of zonal wind component (0.71) for 2005. The highest negative values correlations found for 2005, 2010, and 2015 were for the meteorological traits soil moisture and relative air humidity, respectively. The present study is important for highlighting up the vulnerability of the Atlantic Forest ecosystem, given the occurrence of fire outbreaks.