@article{fdi:010096884,
  title = {{W}hat controls fire size in the {S}outh {A}merican {G}ran {C}haco ? {E}xploring atmospheric and landscape drivers through {R}emote {S}ensing},
  author = {{S}an {M}artín, {R}. and {O}ttl{\'e}, {C}. and {S}orenss{\¨o}n, {A}. and {A}yar, {P}. {V}. and {M}ouillot, {F}lorent and {M}alfante, {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}ildfires are key ecological agents in the {G}ran {C}haco, one of the world's largest tropical dry forest systems. {W}e analyzed more than 100 000 fire patches across the {W}et, {D}ry and {V}ery {D}ry {C}haco between 2001 and 2022, to quantify environmental and anthropogenic controls on fire size. {F}ire sizes were strongly right-skewed: more than 80 % were smaller than 5 km(2), yet large and extreme fires dominated total burned area. {M}egafires (>100 km(2)) occurred in all subregions, while gigafires (>1000 km(2)) were rare but concentrated in the {D}ry {C}haco. {F}ire {W}eather {I}ndex-burned area correlations exhibited strong spatial contrasts, reaching values of up to r=0.7 in the {W}et {C}haco and showing weaker, more heterogeneous relationships in drier regions. {M}eteorological conditions during fires, particularly persistent strong winds, were associated with larger and more elongated patches. {R}andom {F}orest models showed that topography and land cover composition together accounted for about 60 % of total {SHAP} importance, whereas demographic variables had very low {SHAP} contributions in the models. {H}uman pressures shape ignition timing but showed limited direct influence on fire size once landscape structure was included in the models. {T}hese results provide a quantitative basis for improving regional fire danger assessments in the {G}ran {C}haco.},
  keywords = {{ARGENTINE} ; {BOLIVIE} ; {BRESIL} ; {PARAGUAY} ; {GRAN} {CHACO}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{N}atural {H}azards and {E}arth {S}ystem {S}ciences},
  volume = {26},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {1479--1513},
  ISSN = {1561-8633},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.5194/nhess-26-1479-2026},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096884},
}