We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Contribution of remote sensing to wildfre trend and dynamic analysis in two of Ghana's ecological zones: Guinea-savanna and Forest-savanna mosaic.
- Authors
Dahan, Kueshi Sémanou; Kasei, Raymond Abudu; Husseini, Rikiatu
- Abstract
Background Two of Ghana's ecological zones--Guinea-savanna zone (GSZ) and Forest-savanna mosaic zone (FSZ)--are practically homologous in terms of structure and foristic composition, with some diferences. The various sub-ecosystems that make up these areas are being depleted and losing their natural values due to various threats. There is little understanding about the fre trends in these areas due to a lack of data and poor accessibility to existing fre statistics. This study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the trends of area burned and active fre in the Guinea-savanna and Forest-savanna mosaic zones in order to inform policy-makers about sustainable management options. We used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily active fre (MDC14ML) and burned-area (MCD64A1) products to characterize the fre regime in terms of seasonality, intensity, density, burned area, frequency, and trends during the study period of 2001 to 2021. Results This study indicated that fre activity started in October and peaked in December (GSZ) and January (FSZ). The mean proportion burned was approximately 39.95% (burned area of 2659.31 km²; FSZ) and 60.05% (burned area of 3996.63 km²: GSZ), while the frequency was approximately 42.87% (1759.95 of active fres; FSZ) and 57.13% (2345.26 of active fres: GSZ). In 2018, GSZ recorded the largest burned area (19 811.2 km², which represents an average of 825.5 km² of the total area burned from 2001 to 2021) with 4719 active points detected. FSZ recorded its greatest burned area in 2015 (8727.4 km² ; which represents an average of 363.6 km² of the total area burned from 2001 to 2021) with 5587 active points recorded. In addition, it was found that specifc times of the day (1000 h to 1420 h) recorded the majority of burned areas. In overview, between 2001 and 2021, burned areas increased by an average of 1.4 km² (FSZ) and 4.6 km² (GSZ), and the number of active fres increased by an average of 4.7 (FSZ) and 4.4 (GSZ) active fres per km². Conclusions In conclusion, burned areas and active fres are increasing in both ecological zones. This study demonstrated the relevance of remote sensing to describe spatial and temporal patterns of fre occurrence in Ghana and highlighted the need for fre control and fuel management by the policies and institutions (e.g., Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service) in these important and vulnerable zones (GSZ and FSZ). This is especially true in the Forest-savanna mosaic zone, which is increasingly afected by the disasters of wildfres and records more active fres than GSZ, indicating that this zone is becoming more and more vulnerable. Therefore, rigorous continuous monitoring is essential, and collaboration between organizations fghting for the conservation of natural resources in the feld is strongly recommended.
- Subjects
GHANA; GUINEA; MODIS (Spectroradiometer); REMOTE sensing; ECOLOGICAL zones; TREND analysis; HOMOLOGY (Biology)
- Publication
Fire Ecology, 2023, Vol 19, p1
- ISSN
1933-9747
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s42408-023-00198-z