Environmental and climatic Interconnections: Impacts of forest fires in the Mato Grosso region of the Amazon

Abstract

Wildfires in the Amazon biome of Mato Grosso cause extensive environmental, economic, and health damages, including biodiversity loss and high greenhouse gas emissions. This study used remote sensing to examine the relationship between fire severity and climatic factors, focusing on dNBR (Differenced Normalized Burn Ratio), precipitation, LST (Land Surface Temperature), SPI (Standardized Precipitation Index), NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and VCI (Vegetation Condition Index), analyzing data from 2001 to 2022. Statistical tests included Shapiro-Wilk, Tukey, regression kriging, Mann-Kendall for trend analysis, Pettitt for change points, and canonical variable tests. Regarding trends, only LST showed a significant trend starting in 2009, with the Northeast mesoregion showing the highest impact on temperature. dNBR correlated positively with NDVI and VCI, and negatively with precipitation and SPI. The northern mesoregion had a positive influence on dNBR and NDVI but negative for precipitation, SPI, and VCI. The southwestern mesoregion associated positively with dNBR and LST but negatively with the other variables. The Northeast and South-Central mesoregions showed positive correlations with most variables except dNBR and NDVI. These findings highlight the northern mesoregion's vulnerability due to its proximity to the central Amazon Forest and agri-cultural activity, indicating increased fire susceptibility with reduced humidity.