Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Author Spotlight: Addressing Technical and Subjective Challenges in Measuring Classroom Attention
Published on: December 15, 2023
Tracking and classifying Amazon fire events in near real time
Niels Andela1,2, Douglas C Morton3, Wilfrid Schroeder4
1School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
Abstract:
Exceptional fire activity in 2019 sparked concern about Amazon forest conservation. However, the inability to rapidly separate satellite fire detections by fire type hampered fire suppression and assessment of ecosystem and air quality impacts. Here, we describe the development of a near-real-time approach for tracking contributions from deforestation, forest, agricultural, and savanna fires to burned area and emissions and apply the approach to the 2019 fire season in South America. Across the southern Amazon, 19,700 deforestation fire events accounted for 39% of all satellite active fire detections and the majority of fire carbon emissions (63%; 69 Tg C). Multiday fires accounted for 81% of burned area and 92% of carbon emissions from the Amazon, with many forest fires burning uncontrolled for weeks. Most fire detections from deforestation fires were correctly identified within 2 days (67%), highlighting the potential to improve situational awareness and management outcomes during fire emergencies.
Related Concept Videos
Elastic Collisions: Case Study
Force Classification
Contact and non-contact forces are two of the most widely used categories of forces. As the name suggests, contact forces require physical contact between two objects to act upon each other. Examples of contact forces include frictional,...
Aggregates Classification
Petrographic classification groups aggregates based on common mineralogical characteristics. Some of the common mineral groups found in aggregates are...
Elastic Collisions: Introduction
Steps in Outbreak Investigation
Classification of Signals
A continuous-time signal holds a value at every instant in time, representing information seamlessly. In contrast, a discrete-time signal holds values only at specific moments, often denoted as x(n), where...

