Siberian forest fires: anomalies and trends from satellite data (2000-2019)

TL;DR

This study analyzes satellite data from 2000-2019 to identify trends and anomalies in Siberian forest fires, revealing an increase in intense fires and overall wildfire intensity over two decades.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive satellite-based analysis of Siberian forest fire characteristics, highlighting temporal trends and differences in fire intensity.

Findings

Increase in proportion of intense fires during fire seasons

Rise in average wildfire intensity in summer

Detection of spatio-temporal changes in fire patterns

Abstract

The forest fires characteristics in Siberia detected by satellite data (MODIS instruments on Aqua and Terra platforms) for the period 2000-2019 are analyzed. Regional statistical data and distribution functions of wildfire characteristics are presented. Differences in spatio-temporal changes of forest fires of various intensity were revealed. An analysis of trends of the wildfire characteristics over the past two decades indicates an increase in the proportion of intense forest fires during the fire hazardous seasons, as well as an increase in the intensity of average Siberian wildfire in summer.