A global analysis of vegetation fires using satellite images: spatial and temporal dynamics

Vegetation fires occur in almost all parts of the globe. Both natural and man-made, they interact in a complex manner with the biosphere. Using a series of global data sets of NOAA AVHRR satellite imagery, spread over a 12 month period in 1992-1993, it has been possible, for the first time, to carry out a quantitative study of fire dynamics from a global perspective. The results presented here show the spatial and temporal distribution of active fires as derived from this remotely sensed data. Fires have been detected at all times of the year and in almost every region of the globe, however, 80% of those detected were within the tropics, and the largest number were in the African continent. The main vegetation types affected were savanna woodlands. The potential application of this information to atmospheric chemistry, land-use and land-cover change studies is discussed.