Articles | Volume 26, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11835-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11835-2026
Research article
 | 
21 Aug 2026
Research article |  | 21 Aug 2026

Impacts of droughts on biomass burning emissions, air quality, and public health in the Amazon

Leo T. H. Ng, Jia Mao, Xueying Liu, Shixian Zhai, Dominic Fawcett, Stephen Sitch, Luiz E. O. C. Aragao, and Amos P. K. Tai

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Cited articles

Albert, J. S., Carnaval, A. C., Flantua, S. G., Lohmann, L. G., Ribas, C. C., Riff, D., Carrillo, J. D., Fan, Y., Figueiredo, J. J., and Guayasamin, J. M.: Human impacts outpace natural processes in the Amazon, Science, 379, eabo5003, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abo5003, 2023. 
Alvarado, M. J., Wang, C., and Prinn, R. G.: Formation of ozone and growth of aerosols in young smoke plumes from biomass burning: 2. Three-dimensional Eulerian studies, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 114, D09307, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011186, 2009. 
Anenberg, S. C., Horowitz, L. W., Tong, D. Q., and West, J. J.: An estimate of the global burden of anthropogenic ozone and fine particulate matter on premature human mortality using atmospheric modeling, Environ. Health Persp., 118, 1189–1195, 2010. 
Aragão, L. E. O. C., Malhi, Y., Roman-Cuesta, R. M., Saatchi, S., Anderson, L. O., and Shimabukuro, Y. E.: Spatial patterns and fire response of recent Amazonian droughts, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028946, 2007. 
Aragão, L. E. O. C., Poulter, B., Barlow, J. B., Anderson, L. O., Malhi, Y., Saatchi, S., Phillips, O. L., and Gloor, E.: Environmental change and the carbon balance of Amazonian forests, Biol. Rev., 89, 913–931, https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12088, 2014. 
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Short summary
Wildfires in the Amazon worsen air pollution and threaten public health, yet the role of droughts in amplifying these effects is poorly understood. Using satellite data and atmospheric modeling, we assessed how droughts intensified fire emissions and pollution in the Brazilian Amazon from 2010–2015. During drought years, fires contributed up to 76 % of harmful particles and raised premature deaths by up to 24 %. These results stress the need for fire management that accounts for drought risks.
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