The environmental envelope of fires in the Colombian Caribbean

Abstract

Fire is an important disturbance agent for terrestrial ecosystems, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions where its occurrence is controlled by multiple biophysical and anthropogenic variables. We assessed the temporal and spatial patterns of active fire detections (MODIS product MCD14ML) in the Caribbean region of Colombia between 2003 and 2015, using time series, cross-correlation, hot spot and density techniques. We also assessed the environmental envelope of active fires by evaluating the effect of multiple biophysical and anthropogenic variables on fire presence/absence using generalized linear models (GLMs). Results show that fires follow a clear intra-annual cycle, with 86% of fire events taking place during the region's main dry season (December–March). There is also inter-annual variability related to the Tropical North Atlantic (TNA) quasi-decadal climatic oscillation. Active fires exhibit a distinctive spatial pattern, with regional hotspots. The set of variables that best explain fire presence/absence include biophysical (TNA, temperature annual range, dry quarter precipitation), anthropogenic (minimum distance to towns and roads) and composite (NDVI) variables. The extensive and ongoing land cover transformation of this region, from forest to pasture and agriculture, will likely increase the extent of burned areas and future carbon fire emissions to the atmosphere.