Spatial and temporal patterns of the 2006 land and forest fires detected by high resolution satellites

Abstract

In this paper, we present our results of fire monitoring for the year 2006 in the insular Southeast Asia region. The year 2006 was a mild El-Nino year. The weather was generally dry, and thus was favorable for the occurrences of fires. The temporal and spatial patterns of the fires in 2006 are compared with the "normal" years. In 1999 to 2005, the fire activities in Sumatra usually peaked in July and decreased when the rain came around September and October. However, in 2006, the fire count kept on increasing after July and peaked in October due to the dry weather. In 1999 to 2005, fires occurred mainly in Riau region. However, in 2006, the fires shifted to South Sumatra. The temporal and spatial patterns show clear correlations with rainfall. Correlation of MODIS detected hotspots and the fires detected by high resolution satellites is shown.