Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features wildfires in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil. These fires have been some of the most devastating in recent history. 

The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on September 9, 2024. “The infrared signal acquired by the mission’s multispectral instrument allows the extent of the burned areas to be seen and highlights where the fires were still active on the date of acquisition,” noted ESA.

Brazil fires of 2024

2024 has shaped up to be one of Brazil’s most intense fire seasons. The country is facing its worst drought since national measurements began, which has fueled a surge in wildfires across critical regions like the Amazon, the Pantanal wetlands, and the Cerrado savanna. 

The Amazon

By September 2024, Brazil had already recorded nearly 160,000 fires – the highest number since 2010. In the Amazon, the first half of the year saw the most wildfires in 20 years, with fire activity up by 40% compared to previous record years.

Climate change and deforestation 

Climate change and human-driven deforestation are worsening the situation. The combination of extreme drought, slash-and-burn agriculture, and the ongoing degradation of forests has created ideal conditions for fire outbreaks to spread uncontrollably. 

Fires in the Pantanal 

Regions like the Pantanal have been especially hard-hit, with large portions of the biome burned earlier than usual, long before the peak of fire season.

The fires have significantly impacted the fragile ecosystem of the Pantanal, which is one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands. 

Between August 1 and 27, over 3,800 fires were recorded in the Pantanal, marking an alarming increase compared to the previous year. 

These fires have led to severe damage to local wildlife, with hundreds of animals, including jaguars and anteaters, suffering from burns. Firefighters have been mobilized, but the scale of the fires and the vast, difficult-to-access areas have made containment efforts challenging.

Irreversible impacts on biodiversity

Furthermore, the fires have released toxic smoke that has spread across Brazil, affecting cities as far as São Paulo and Brasília. The use of satellite imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has been crucial in monitoring the active fires and the extent of burned areas. 

Environmentalists are warning that the destruction of native vegetation and animal habitats could have long-term, irreversible effects on the region’s biodiversity.

Climate change and wildfires

Climate change and wildfires are deeply interconnected. As the Earth’s climate warms due to the increase in greenhouse gases, many regions around the world are experiencing hotter, drier conditions. 

These changes create the perfect environment for wildfires to ignite and spread. Warmer temperatures dry out vegetation, making forests and grasslands more flammable. 

When a spark – whether from a lightning strike, a human activity, or another source – hits this dry vegetation, fires can erupt rapidly and become difficult to control.

Longer fire seasons

In addition, changing weather patterns have led to longer fire seasons in many parts of the world. Areas that were once too wet or cool to experience frequent fires are now seeing them more often. 

For example, the Arctic and subarctic regions, including parts of Siberia and Alaska, have experienced unusually intense wildfires in recent years, partly due to warming temperatures and thawing permafrost.

Fire severity

Climate change also affects the severity of fires. Warmer air holds more moisture, leading to more extreme weather events such as thunderstorms, which can generate lightning and ignite fires. 

Furthermore, prolonged droughts caused by changing rainfall patterns make forests more susceptible to large, destructive wildfires. Once a fire starts, the hot, dry conditions fuel its rapid spread, often overwhelming firefighting efforts.

Reinforcing feedback loop

The aftermath of wildfires further exacerbates climate change. When forests burn, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide stored in trees and soil into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. 

This creates a feedback loop, where more fires lead to more carbon emissions, which in turn accelerate climate change, making future fires more likely and more intense. As climate change continues to progress, wildfires are expected to become more frequent, larger, and more destructive across many parts of the world.

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