Spatiotemporal analysis of fire foci and Land Use and Land Cover changes in the Caatinga biome of Rio Grande do Norte - Brazil via satellite data and GIS

Abstract

Events of fires might have many different origins and consequences. In Brazil, they can have a particular difficult level of monitoring considering the extensive area of the country and lack of publicly available data specially for remote regions. By the use of remotely sensed data from satellites as well as GIS tools, this study carried out fire foci and LULC spatiotemporal analysis from 2002 to 2020/2022, providing relevant information for the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN) in Brazil. Within the state, an emphasis was given to the Caatinga biome which is currently at risk. The information obtained from this study could support decision making regarding monitoring and management of the affected areas and highlighted and corroborated to the threat Caatinga has been facing.