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Uncovering the hydro-meteorological drivers responsible for forest fires utilizing geospatial techniques

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Abstract

Forest fires have become a growing concern worldwide, with climate change exacerbating their frequency and intensity. In the Simlipal region of India, forest fires are relatively rare; however, in 2021, significant damage occurred in the buffer area’s forests. Understanding the driving factors behind these events is essential for developing effective management strategies. This study investigates the impact of hydro-meteorological conditions on forest fire causes in the Simlipal region by analyzing Terra climatic data and geo-statistics for the period of 1984 to 2021. Long-term trends were determined using non-parametric tests on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform. Our findings reveal that the maximum burned area location has a decreasing trend in Land Surface Temperature (LST), with a small portion (<10%) showing an increasing trend (0.02 °C/year) near burned locations. Wind speed is decreasing at a rate of −0.006 m/s/year. The sudden forest fires are caused by the combined effect of increasing LST and decreasing wind speed in some areas (<10% of the region). However, the major factor contributing to forest fires in the entire area is the rising trend of annual potential water deficit and actual evapotranspiration, as well as an increasing trend of minimum temperature. The soil moisture deficit during the summer season, especially between 2012 and 2021, contributed to forest fires in the burned area. The soil moisture deficit during the summer season, particularly from 2012 to 2021, played a significant role in the occurrence of forest fires in the affected area. The study emphasized the need for increased attention to this region in order to preserve biodiversity, which was assessed through an analysis of burned severity mapping in GEE (Google Earth Engine). These findings have important implications for future forest management strategies in the Simlipal region. Climate variability is likely to exacerbate the frequency and intensity of forest fires in the region, necessitating effective management strategies to mitigate their impact. Such strategies could involve improving fire prevention and control measures, such as creating fire breaks and increasing the availability of fire-fighting equipment, as well as enhancing forest monitoring systems to detect potential fires early. Additionally, efforts to address climate change, proper management of land use practices, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions could help to mitigate the future impacts of forest fires in the Simlipal region and elsewhere.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to express our gratitude to the USGS for providing Landsat data, to Google Earth Engine for providing the analytical platform, and all the three anonymous reviewers whose insightful feedback greatly enhanced the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Climate Change & Water Research (C3WR), Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, 302017, India

    Saurabh Kumar Gupta

  2. Department of Geography, School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University of Punjab, VPO-Ghudda, Bathinda, 151401, India

    Shruti Kanga

  3. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Tokyo, 113-8654, Japan

    Gowhar Meraj

  4. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Hayama, 240-0115, Japan

    Pankaj Kumar

  5. Centre for Sustainable Development, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur, 302017, India

    Suraj Kumar Singh

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Contributions

Conceptualization, G.M., S.K., and S.K.S.; Methodology, G.M., S.K., S.K.S., S.K.G., and P.K.; Software, S.K.G.; Validation, G.M., S.K., P.K., and S.K.G.; Formal Analysis, G.M., S.K., A.M., P.K., and S.K.G.; Investigation, G.M., S.K., S.K.G.; Resources, S.K. and P.K.; Data Curation, G.M., S.K., and P.K.; Writing—Original Draft Preparation, G.M., S.K., and S.K.G.; Writing—Review and Editing, G.M. and S.K.S.; Visualization, G.M. and S.K.S.; Supervision, S.K. and S.K.S.; Project Administration, G.M. and S.K.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Suraj Kumar Singh.

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We want to participate because research needs more attention and help to combat forest fire hazards and risks according to changing climate

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The research needed to be aware of the role of hydro-metrological on forest fire and it is not accessed more clearly in any research; therefore by the publication of it, this research gets more exposure and helps the society and environment.

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Gupta, S.K., Kanga, S., Meraj, G. et al. Uncovering the hydro-meteorological drivers responsible for forest fires utilizing geospatial techniques. Theor Appl Climatol 153, 675–695 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-023-04497-y

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