What is it about?
This study is about a fire episode that burned for several days in the Pantanal region, Brazil, in early November 2023. We focus on 13 and 14 November, when the fire spread rapidly and presented an unexpected increase in active fire number. The study is based on satellite observations, weather station data, and two numerical simulations performed with the Meso-NH atmospheric model. Basically, fire weather conditions were explored through three meteorological fields that influence fire behavior, namely the air temperature, relative humidity and wind gusts.
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Why is it important?
The study shows that, on a sub-daily scale, atmospheric phenomena as convective outflows and gust fronts at the surface can lead to an unexpected fire behavior. Moreover, the study highlighted the benefits of increasing horizontal resolution to represent such phenomena.
Perspectives
Under a meteorological context, the study shows the benefits of using atmospheric modeling to support critical fire situations, in particular representing conditions that can lead to abrupt changes in wind direction and intensity. It was a first step toward better understanding fire dynamics in the Pantanal through atmospheric modeling, and it can support strategies for firefighting in the region.
Dr Flavio T. Couto
Instituto de Ciências da Terra, Universidade de Évora
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil, Earth, September 2024, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/earth5030028.
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