Thread by @Erika_Berenguer

Our new paper @GlobalChangeBio
outlines 5 key aspects for #research on Amazonian fires, especially for those using remote sensing and broad climate indexes – a thread.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gc…

@GlobalChangeBio 1 - Amazonian #vegetation is not only determined by climate. As such, Koppen-Geiger climate zones can lead to wrong assumptions, such as characterizing all the southern part of the basin as savannas instead of forests.

@GlobalChangeBio 2 – The Amazon Basin does not have a single precipitation pattern or a single dry season – there are marked spatial differences that are essential to be considered when studying #fires in the region.

@GlobalChangeBio 3 – Not all Amazonian fires are #forest fires – there are deforestation fires, pasture fires and subsistence farming fires. We discuss these in more detail in this previous paper:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

@GlobalChangeBio 4 – Forest fires are hard to detect – the 30cm flames are not easily detected under 50m canopies.

@GlobalChangeBio 5 – #deforestation is different from degradation – while the former leads to the complete removal of the forest, the latter just changes its structure, although these changes can be profound and with long-lasting impacts.

@GlobalChangeBio Without carefully considering these aspects, research on such a complex social-economic system can lead to flawed results, hindering #conservation efforts and negatively informing decision makers.

@GlobalChangeBio Still, more research on fire dynamics, long-term impacts of fire on #biodiversity and carbon stocks, as well as on the human fire use are essential to help to develop effective measures to preserve the Amazon.

@GlobalChangeBio This paper is another team effort involving several people and institutions: Nathália Carvalho (from @inpe_mct &Cemaden), @LianaAmazonia (@CEMADEN ), @aragao_luiz (Inpe and @UniofExeter ), @FilipeEco and @JosBarlow from @LancasterUni and me from both @ecioxford and @LancsUniLEC