Satellite Observation of Biomass Burning Implications in Global Change Research

Biomass burning, which involves wildland fires as well as agricultural and grassland burnings, plays a critical role in the environmental equilibrium of our planet, since it is a major driving force in land cover transformations and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Several satellite missions provide critical information required to better understand the temporal and spatial distribution of biomass burning. Satellite images provide objective and comprehensive informa- tion on global patterns of fire occurrence, as well as data on factors affecting fire ignition and propagation. Recent improvements in spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution of satellite remote sensing systems reduce past uncertainties - systems can now be used to obtain a more precise evaluation of burned areas and post-fire effects on soils and plants. Greater efforts are required to operationally use Earth Observation data in fire prevention and early warning. Longer time series data are required to acquire a better understanding of fire regimes, and their mutual relation- ships with global warming.