Scientific Data (Apr 2024)

A monthly gridded burned area database of national wildland fire data

  • Andrina Gincheva,
  • Juli G. Pausas,
  • Andrew Edwards,
  • Antonello Provenzale,
  • Artemi Cerdà,
  • Chelene Hanes,
  • Dominic Royé,
  • Emilio Chuvieco,
  • Florent Mouillot,
  • Gabriele Vissio,
  • Jesús Rodrigo,
  • Joaquin Bedía,
  • John T. Abatzoglou,
  • José María Senciales González,
  • Karen C. Short,
  • Mara Baudena,
  • Maria Carmen Llasat,
  • Marta Magnani,
  • Matthias M. Boer,
  • Mauro E. González,
  • Miguel Ángel Torres-Vázquez,
  • Paolo Fiorucci,
  • Peter Jacklyn,
  • Renata Libonati,
  • Ricardo M. Trigo,
  • Sixto Herrera,
  • Sonia Jerez,
  • Xianli Wang,
  • Marco Turco

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03141-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 17

Abstract

Read online

Abstract We assembled the first gridded burned area (BA) database of national wildfire data (ONFIRE), a comprehensive and integrated resource for researchers, non-government organisations, and government agencies analysing wildfires in various regions of the Earth. We extracted and harmonised records from different regions and sources using open and reproducible methods, providing data in a common framework for the whole period available (starting from 1950 in Australia, 1959 in Canada, 1985 in Chile, 1980 in Europe, and 1984 in the United States) up to 2021 on a common 1° × 1° grid. The data originate from national agencies (often, ground mapping), thus representing the best local expert knowledge. Key opportunities and limits in using this dataset are discussed as well as possible future expansions of this open-source approach that should be explored. This dataset complements existing gridded BA data based on remote sensing and offers a valuable opportunity to better understand and assess fire regime changes, and their drivers, in these regions. The ONFIRE database can be freely accessed at https://zenodo.org/record/8289245 .