Authors:
Erianto Indra Putra, Mark A. Cochrane, Yenni Vetrita, Laura Graham and Bambang Hero Saharjo
Book:
Proceedings of the 15th International Peat Congress
Venue:
Kuching
Keywords:
degraded-peatland, ground-water-level, peat-fires, precipitation
Documentfile:
ipc16p327-331a278putracochrane.etal_.pdf
Summary:
SUMMARY
Tropical peat fires occur nearly every year, but burning conditions are aggravated during droughts in Indonesia. Severe dry conditions in degraded peatlands may increase peat susceptibility to fire, creating suitable conditions for peat fires to be ignited. Ground water level (GWL) has been used as a key indicator for determining fire activity in peatlands. We studied the fire situation on 2011-2012 in a portion of the ex-Mega Rice Project (MRP) area, Central Kalimantan to get better understanding of this critical issue. Further analyses using TRMM data and the changing GWL from 460 dipwells set up at Block A and E of MRP area showed a time-lag between the lowest precipitation…