Spatio-temporal Distribution of Wildfire Occurrences on the Lake Floor of Lake Chad Based on Remotely Sensed Data

Abstract

This paper analyzes the spatio-temporal distribution of wildfire occurrences on the lake floor of the Lake Chad
using satellite remote sensing data. A combination of field survey and computation of fire pixel counts from
MODIS images for the period 2001–2009 form the basis for this analysis. The result revealed that the highest
number of fires occurred in 2001, with varying figures in subsequent years. The highest number of fires in 2001
may be connected to the extent of flooding and the subsequent invasion by vegetal biomass on the Lake floor
after the recession of floods. Fire density was highest in the northern basin of the Lake Chad, with a total burnt
area of 19,274 km2 compared to the southern basin. The disparity in the spatial distribution of wildfires between
the two basins may be connected with the proliferation of invasive species, especially Prosopis juliflora in the
northern basin. These invasive species are important for the local communities living on the lake floor as they
are subjected to frequent burning in order to get fuel wood for household use.
KeyWords: Spatio-temporal distribution, wildfire, MODIS, Lake floor, Lake Chad, remotely sensed data