Abstract The ongoing deforestation process in Amazonia has led to intensified forest fires in the region, particularly in Brazil, after more than a decade of effective forest conservation policy. This study aims to investigate the recovery of two mature sub‐montane ombrophile Amazonian forests affected by fire in terms of energy, water and carbon fluxes utilizing remote sensing (MODIS) and climate reanalysis data (GLDAS). These two forest plots, mainly composed of Manilkara spp. (Maçaranduba), Protium spp. (Breu) (∼30 m), Bertholletia excelsa (Castanheira) and Dinizia excelsa Ducke (Angelim‐Pedra) (∼50 m), occupy areas of 100.5 and 122.1 km 2 and were subject to fire on the same day, on September 12, 2010. The fire significantly increased land surface temperature (0.8°C) and air temperature (1.2°C) in the forests over a 3 years interval. However, the forests showed an ability to recover their original states in terms of coupling between the carbon and water cycles comparing the 3‐year periods before and after the fires. Results from a wavelet analysis showed an intensification in annual and seasonal fluctuations, and in some cases (e.g., daily net radiation and evapotrasnspiration) sub‐annual fluctuation. We interpreted these changes to be consistent with overall intensification of the coupling of energy balance components and drivers imposed by climate and solar cycle seasonality, as well as faster time scale changes, consistent with a shift toward greater forest openness and consequent reduction in the interception of incoming solar radiation by the canopy.
Plain Language Summary Deforestation in the Amazon is leading to larger areas of the forest being burned recently. We wanted to know how this deforestation impacts other aspects of the environment. In particular, we looked at how the deforestation changed the amount of carbon dioxide and water that is being transferred between the surface and the atmosphere. To do this, we used satellite data that monitors the amount of vegetation on the surface of the Earth. By combining the satellite data with climate data, we show that fires caused warming in the areas for 3 years after the fire. The amount of carbon dioxide and water moving between the surface and the atmosphere returned to normal within the same time interval. We observed that the fire causes changes in the amount of sunlight that is captured by the forest, which can vary from days to months. These changes at different time‐scales play a key role on how quickly the forest will recover after the fire.
Key Points We study the recovery of Amazonian forests affected by fire in terms of energy, water and carbon fluxes The forests showed an ability to recover their original water‐carbon coupling patterns 3 years post fire Our results will help to improve fundamental and process‐level understanding of fire impacts in Amazonia