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Communication

A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil

by
Flavio T. Couto
1,2,*,
Filippe L. M. Santos
2,
Cátia Campos
2,
Carolina Purificação
2,
Nuno Andrade
3,
Juan M. López-Vega
4 and
Matthieu Lacroix
5
1
Departamento de Física, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Rua Romão Ramalho, 59, 7000-671 Evora, Portugal
2
Earth Remote Sensing Laboratory (EaRS Lab), Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada—IIFA, Instituto de Ciências da Terra—ICT (Polo de Évora), Universidade de Évora, Rua Romão Ramalho, 59, 7000-671 Evora, Portugal
3
Programa de Doctorado en Turismo, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
4
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
5
École Doctorale ED 483 Sciences Sociales, Université Lumière Lyon 2, UMR 5600 EVS-IRG, 5 Avenue Pierre Mendès, 69500 Bron, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Earth 2024, 5(3), 548-563; https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030028
Submission received: 14 August 2024 / Revised: 15 September 2024 / Accepted: 16 September 2024 / Published: 18 September 2024
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Abstract

This study provides insights into large fires in the Pantanal by analyzing the atmospheric conditions that influenced the rapid fire evolution between 13 and 14 November 2023, when fire fronts spread rapidly, leading to critical situations for firefighters. The observation-based analysis helped us to identify some characteristics of the fire’s evolution and the meteorological conditions in the region. Furthermore, two simulations were run with the Meso-NH model, which was configured with horizontal resolutions of 2.5 km and 5 km. The fire behavior, characterized by satellite observations, revealed periods with a sudden increase in active fire numbers. High temperatures and low relative humidity in the region characterized the fire weather conditions. The simulations confirmed the critical fire condition, showing the benefits of increasing the resolution of numerical models for the Pantanal region. The convection-resolving simulation at 2.5 km showed the repeated development of gust fronts in the late afternoon and early evening. This study highlights this dynamic that, coupled with intense surface wind gusts, was crucial for the intensification of the fire spread and unexpected behavior. This study is a first step toward better understanding fire dynamics in the Pantanal through atmospheric modeling, and it can support strategies for firefighting in the region.
Keywords: atmospheric modeling; Meso-NH model; mega-fires; gusts fronts; Pantanal; wetland atmospheric modeling; Meso-NH model; mega-fires; gusts fronts; Pantanal; wetland

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MDPI and ACS Style

Couto, F.T.; Santos, F.L.M.; Campos, C.; Purificação, C.; Andrade, N.; López-Vega, J.M.; Lacroix, M. A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil. Earth 2024, 5, 548-563. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030028

AMA Style

Couto FT, Santos FLM, Campos C, Purificação C, Andrade N, López-Vega JM, Lacroix M. A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil. Earth. 2024; 5(3):548-563. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030028

Chicago/Turabian Style

Couto, Flavio T., Filippe L. M. Santos, Cátia Campos, Carolina Purificação, Nuno Andrade, Juan M. López-Vega, and Matthieu Lacroix. 2024. "A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil" Earth 5, no. 3: 548-563. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030028

APA Style

Couto, F. T., Santos, F. L. M., Campos, C., Purificação, C., Andrade, N., López-Vega, J. M., & Lacroix, M. (2024). A Case Study of the Possible Meteorological Causes of Unexpected Fire Behavior in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil. Earth, 5(3), 548-563. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth5030028

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