Seminar Description
This seminar, presented by María Lucrecia Pettinari from the University of Alcalá at the 12th International Conference on Geographical Information Systems, Theory, Applications and Management (GISTAM), examined the role of wildfires in the Earth System, from their long-term natural influence on vegetation patterns and carbon storage to their increasingly human-driven dynamics.
The talk highlights how remote sensing enables global, near-real-time monitoring of wildfire activity. Satellite observations allow the detection of active fires, mapping of burned areas, and assessment of vegetation conditions that influence fire risk, even in remote regions with limited ground data. It also supports the analysis of fire drivers such as fuel availability and moisture, as well as post-fire impacts including burn severity and carbon emissions.
A particular focus is given to advances in fire detection and mapping, including work from the ESA FireCCI project, demonstrating how Earth observation improves our understanding of fire regimes and supports global environmental management.
