Κεραυνική δραστηριότητα και δασικές πυρκαγιές στο όρος Μαίναλο - Lightning-caused fires on Mount Mainalo: Analysis of identified igniting strokes (In Greek with English abstract)

Abstract

Μελετήθηκαν 76 δασικές πυρκαγιές (N=76) οι οποίες προκλήθηκαν από κεραυνούς στο όρος Μαίναλο Αρκαδίας και πέριξ αυτού, σε χρονικό διάστημα 23 ετών (1998 έως 2020), από τον Μάϊο έως και τον Νοέμβριο κάθε έτους. Προέκυψαν δυνητικά χρήσιμα συμπεράσματα για τη συχνότητα και το υψόμετρο (Elv) εμφάνισής τους, τις καμένες εκτάσεις (BuA), τις συντεταγμένες των θέσεων των κεραυνικών πληγμάτων, την ώρα εντοπισμού-αναγγελίας των πυρκαγιών (Fdt) και τη χρονική καθυστέρηση μεταξύ της εκδήλωσης πυρκαγιάς από κεραυνό και του εντοπισμού της (holdover time). Βάσει των αποτελεσμάτων της ανάλυσης, η συχνότητα εμφάνισης πυρκαγιών που προκαλούνται από κεραυνούς, είναι αυξημένη τον Αύγουστο και τον Ιούλιο, οι περισσότερες έχουν εκδηλωθεί στο νότιο τμήμα του Μαινάλου και εντοπίστηκαν τις απογευματινές ώρες.
This paper concerns seventy-six (76) lightning-ignited wildfires on mount Mainalo and its peripheral zone, during the May to November period of the years 1998 to 2020. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard error, median, mode, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) and frequency distribution histograms were used to describe the number of fires per year or month, the burned area per fire, the total burned area per month or year, absolute or mean elevation of lightning-caused fire occurrence, wildfire detection time, and the holdover time (the phase between ignition and detection). The analysis shows that the frequency of lightning-caused wildfires is increased in August and July while most of the fires have taken place at the south part of the mountain and have been detected in the afternoon hours. The results and the preliminary conclusions regarding the spatial and temporal distribution of lightning-caused wildfires and the rest of the data series of this paper, represent the first approach of this type to the lightning-ignited wildfires in Greece.

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1ikoyr@hotmail.gr
2Wildfire Management Consulting and Training, 8, 13673 , info@m-
athanasiou.gr
(Elv BuA
- Fdt
hold overtime
Pyne Pyne Scott
cloud to ground lightning: CGL
Reineking -
-
mm/h
Mazarakis relative
flash density km2
intra-cloud lightning cloud to cloud lightning)
CGL
Ogilvie
ignition
Nash Johnson (1996), Anderson (2002), Pineda Rigo Schultz

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(detection
(holdover time) (Wotton Martell
(Komarek 1968).
(Moris
(Pineda Rigo 2017, Schultz
Chen
N
Fdt
m)
Alt, m
BuA, ha holdover, h

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BuA BuA Elv,
BuA
BuA
BuA ha
ha BuA (=3.951,1 ha
BuA=57,1 ha
BuA
Fdt
BuA BuA
Figure 1. Frequency distribution of wildfires for burned area (BuA) classes and the total burned area per class (N=76)

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Figure 2. a) Frequency distribution of wildfires and maximum
elevation of lightning caused ignition (Elv) per month (N=76)
b) Frequency distribution of wildfires and the total BuA
per month (N=76)
Figure 3. Frequency distribution of wildfires and the total BuA per year (N=76)
Figure 4. a) Frequency distribution of wildfires and mean Elv
15,9 ha)
b) Frequency distribution of wildfires and the total BuA
per month (N=72,

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ha)
Figure 5.
BuA Elv.
Table 3. Descriptive statistics of number of fires, BuA and Elv
(ha)
Elv (
m)
Elv
m) ha)
Elv
m) ha)
ha) /
(Elv, m)
(Mean) 4 52 1.253 10/(1.234) 8,2 4 / 1.293 3 0,8/(1.248)
S.E.)
0,6 42 27 4/(30) 5,2 0,6 / 39 1 0,4/(28)
(Median)
4 0,005 1.252 10/(1.244) 0,6 4 / 1.302 0,06 0,005/(1.241)
(Mode) 4 0,0001 1.418 10/(-) - 4 / (-) 0,05 0,0001/(1.342)
(S.D.)
3 367 236 10/(79) 13,8 3 / (170) 6,4 3/(241)
(min) 1 0,0001 420 1/(1.088) 0,0002 1 / (951) 0,004 0,0001/(420)
(max) 12 3.180 1.842 27/(1.340) 33,6 12 / (1.624) 20 15,9/(1.842)
76 3.951 - 72/(-) 57,1 72 / (-) 57,1 57,1/(-)
19 76 76 7/(7) 7 19 / (19) 19 72/(72)

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Figure 6. a) Frequency distribution of wildfires
for fire detection time (Fdt) classes (N=72)
b) Frequency distribution of wildfires for holdover classes and the
total BuA per class(N=44)
Fdt, Elv, BuA holdover
Table 2. Descriptive statistics of Fdt, Elv, BuA and holdover (of Figure 6)
Fdt
(
hh
:
mm
)
Elv (m)
ha
)
Fdt (hh:mm) Elv (m) holdover (h) BuA
ha
)
Mean 15:47 1.243 10,4 15:26 1.202 22,5 17
S.E. 23 min 28 6 31 min 36 7 10
Median 17:09 1.241 0,005 15:45 1.186 1,6 0,005
Mode 17:30 1.342 0,005 17:30 - 0,2 0,0001
S.D. 3h &
19min 239 50,8 3h & 29min 240 46,1 64
min 08:02 420 0,0001 08:02 420 0,08 0,0001
max 21:30 1.842 300 21:30 1.842 222,8 300
- - 751,1 - - - 749
72 72 72 44 44 44 44

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- 2020.
Figure 7: Spatial and temporal (per month) distribution of lightning caused wildfires on mount Mainalo, Arcadia Greece, for
the period 1998 to 2020.
–
( )
holdover time)

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holdover time).
Kotroni Lagouvardos
Abstract
This paper concerns seventy-six (76) lightning-ignited wildfires on mount Mainalo and its peripheral
zone, during the May to November period of the years 1998 to 2020. Descriptive statistics (mean,
standard error, median, mode, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) and frequency distribution
histograms were used to describe the number of fires per year or month, the burned area per fire, the
total burned area per month or year, absolute or mean elevation of lightning-caused fire occurrence,
wildfire detection time, and the holdover time (the phase between ignition and detection). The analysis
shows that the frequency of lightning-caused wildfires is increased in August and July while most of the
fires have taken place at the south part of the mountain and have been detected in the afternoon hours.
The results and the preliminary conclusions regarding the spatial and temporal distribution of lightning-
caused wildfires and the rest of the data series of this paper, represent the first approach of this type to
the lightning-ignited wildfires in Greece.
Anderson K., 2002. A model to predict lightning-caused fire occurrences. Int. J. Wildland Fire, 11,
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