Historical background and current developments for mapping burned area from satellite Earth observation

TLDR

Fire impacts Earth's physical and social systems, and accurate, up‑to‑date burned‑area data are essential for understanding fire drivers, biogeochemical cycles, climate, air quality, and for fire management, while historically mapping burned areas relied on field sketches, but satellite remote sensing now provides timely regional and global coverage. The review aims to examine the physical basis for detecting burned areas from satellite observations, chart historical sensor usage, and evaluate current mapping approaches and products. The authors review satellite sensor trends, summarize recent mapping methods,.

Abstract

Fire has a diverse range of impacts on Earth's physical and social systems. Accurate and up to date information on areas affected by fire is critical to better understand drivers of fire activity, as well as its relevance for biogeochemical cycles, climate, air quality, and to aid fire management. Mapping burned areas was traditionally done from field sketches. With the launch of the first Earth observation satellites, remote sensing quickly became a more practical alternative to detect burned areas, as they provide timely regional and global coverage of fire occurrence. This review paper explores the physical basis to detect burned area from satellite observations, describes the historical trends of using satellite sensors to monitor burned areas, summarizes the most recent approaches to map burned areas and evaluates the existing burned area products (both at global and regional scales). Finally, it identifies potential future opportunities to further improve burned area detection from Earth observation satellites.