Wildfires Hazards

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2020) | Viewed by 19549

Special Issue Editors

Department of Geography, University of Minho, Campus de Azurém, 4810-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: geographic information systems and remote sensing and their application to land use planning; geomorphology; geomorphological heritage; erosive processes following forest fires and mitigation measures
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fire is an important Earth system process and the primary terrestrial ecosystem disturbance agent on a global scale, and it depends on vegetation characteristics, climate, and human activities. This phenomenon generates feedbacks by affecting biogeochemical cycles, vegetation composition and structure, land–atmosphere, water, and heat exchanges, atmospheric chemistry and composition, and human health and property (Li et al., 2013, 2014).

The reasons behind wildfires may be as diverse as the cultures, economies, histories, and ecosystems of the countries within which they occur and have always existed, on a worldwide scale (Botelho et al., 2014). Over and over we witness its occurrence and frequency, being a recurring problem in some countries (Bento-Gonçalves et al., 2015).

The increased frequency, magnitude, and extent of wildfires, over the past few decades, have become a major societal and environmental concern across the world. These concerns are further aggravated by the likely future climate conditions, increasingly propitious to wildfire ignition and spreading (Bento-Gonçalves et al., 2013).

The studies that seek to understand the dynamics that surrounds wildfires and the environment are increasingly relevant. This concern undertaken by society is having as a beneficial consequence the development of more efficient tools that contribute to the understanding and management of this problem.

Thus, the present Special Issue of Geosciences intends to outline different approaches regarding the wildfire hazards, showing different perspectives and challenges we face in the 21st Century, since understanding the dynamics of wildfires is essential in assessing the impacts generated by fire in many ecosystems (Bento-Gonçalves et al., 2012).

This Special Issue aims to cover, without being limited to, the following areas:

  • Wildfire hazards;
  • Wildfire analysis based on remote sensing data, GIS, GPS, etc.;
  • Wildfire risk management;
  • Wildfire causes (physical and human);
  • Wildfire impacts (on vegetation, soil, water, atmosphere, etc.);
  • Wildfires in wildland–urban interface (WUI);
  • Mega fires;
  • Wildfires and global changes.

Prof. António José Bento Gonçalves
Prof. António Avelino Batista Vieira
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  •  Wildfires
  •  Hazards and risk management
  •  Modern geospatial technologies
  •  Causes and impacts
  •  Global changes
  •  WUI
  •  Mega fires

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2210 KiB  
Article
Soil Heating at High Temperatures and Different Water Content: Effects on the Soil Microorganisms
by Ana Barreiro, Alba Lombao, Angela Martín, Javier Cancelo-González, Tarsy Carballas and Montserrat Díaz-Raviña
Geosciences 2020, 10(9), 355; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090355 - 05 Sep 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3214
Abstract
Soil properties determining the thermal transmissivity, the heat duration and temperatures reached during soil heating are key factors driving the fire-induced changes in soil microbial communities. The aim of the present study is to analyze, under laboratory conditions, the impact of the thermal [...] Read more.
Soil properties determining the thermal transmissivity, the heat duration and temperatures reached during soil heating are key factors driving the fire-induced changes in soil microbial communities. The aim of the present study is to analyze, under laboratory conditions, the impact of the thermal shock (infrared lamps reaching temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C and 400 °C) and moisture level (0%, 25% and 50% per soil volume) on the microbial properties of three soil mixtures from different sites. The results demonstrated that the initial water content was a determinant factor in the response of the microbial communities to soil heating treatments. Measures of fire impact included intensity and severity (temperature, duration), using the degree-hours method. Heating temperatures produced varying thermal shock and impacts on biomass, bacterial activity and microbial community structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildfires Hazards)
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19 pages, 21311 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Burned Forest Area Severity and Postfire Regrowth in Chapada Diamantina National Park (Bahia, Brazil) Using dNBR and RdNBR Spectral Indices
by Sarah Moura B. dos Santos, António Bento-Gonçalves, Washington Franca-Rocha and Gustavo Baptista
Geosciences 2020, 10(3), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10030106 - 18 Mar 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4791
Abstract
Fire scar detection through orbital data can be done using specific techniques, such as the use of spectral indices like the normalized burn ratio (NBR), which are designed to help identify burnt areas as they have typical spectral responses. This paper aims to [...] Read more.
Fire scar detection through orbital data can be done using specific techniques, such as the use of spectral indices like the normalized burn ratio (NBR), which are designed to help identify burnt areas as they have typical spectral responses. This paper aims to characterize burn severity and regrowth in areas hit by three fires in the Chapada Diamantina National Park (Bahia, Brazil) and its surrounding area through the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) and relative differenced normalized burn ratio (RdNBR) spectral indices. The data acquired were pretreated and prepared adequately to calculate the indices. We conclude that for the study area, considering the limitations of fieldwork, the multitemporal index dNBR and the relative index RdNBR are important tools for classifying burnt areas and can be used to assess the regrowth of vegetation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildfires Hazards)
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14 pages, 6542 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Causes of Forest Fires in Portugal by Clustering Analysis
by Ana C. Meira Castro, Adélia Nunes, António Sousa and Luciano Lourenço
Geosciences 2020, 10(2), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10020053 - 29 Jan 2020
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 10782
Abstract
This paper presents a spatial characterization of the distribution at district level of the forest fire events that occurred in mainland Portugal between 1996 and 2015 and whose causes were investigated. We further examine the breakdown of the causes of these forest fires [...] Read more.
This paper presents a spatial characterization of the distribution at district level of the forest fire events that occurred in mainland Portugal between 1996 and 2015 and whose causes were investigated. We further examine the breakdown of the causes of these forest fires over this period. Results supported by relevant validated statistics show that of the total fire events recorded, 94.4% were identified as an effective occurrence, of which 22.2% had burned an area greater than 1 ha, and of these only 42.1% were investigated. False alarms or fires without a recorded burning area are more significant in the districts of Aveiro, Lisbon and Porto, the biggest municipalities. Of the fires whose causes were investigated, the largest number of recorded events were in NE regions (49.0%), followed by NW regions (41.7%), and finally in the rest of the country (9.3%). Taking into account the ratio between the investigated fires and the total number of fires and the behavior profile produced for cluster analysis, a different panorama is brought to light, with the center and south regions showing greater effort to investigate the fires. A thorough analysis of the causes and motivations of the ignition of these forest fire occurrences showed that human activity, either deliberate (20.4%) or negligent (29.9%), outweigh natural phenomena (0.6%). Reactivations (14.6%) and Unknown (34.5%) causes decreased as time passed, whereas negligent and deliberate causes increased. However, these results could change if the percentage of unknown information in relation to the origin of the forest fires is considerable. The outcome of this research will support an efficient management related to fire mitigation and suppression including establishing preventive actions to reduce the occurrence of forest fires and emphasize the need to improve the procedure for recording forest fire events in Portugal, especially in relation to identifying their cause. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wildfires Hazards)
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