Multi-decadal trends and variability in burned area from the 5th version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED5)

Abstract. Long-term records of burned area are needed to understand wildfire dynamics, assess fire impacts on ecosystems and air quality, and improve fire forecasts. Here we fuse multiple streams of remote sensing data to create a 24-year (1997–2020) dataset of monthly burned area as a component of the 5th version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED5). During 2001–2020, we use the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD64A1 burned area product and correct for the errors of commission and omission. Adjustment factors are estimated based on region, land cover, and tree cover fraction, using spatiotemporally aligned burned area from Landsat or Sentinel-2. Burned area in cropland, peatland, and deforestation regions is estimated from MODIS active fire detections. Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) and Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) active fire data are used to extend the time series back to 1997. Global annual burned area is estimated to be 774 ± 63 Mha yr⁻¹ during 2001–2020 or 5.9 ± 0.5 % of ice-free land. Burned area declined by 1.21 ± 0.66 % yr⁻¹, a cumulative decrease of 24.2 ± 13.2 % over 20 years. The global reduction is primarily driven by decreases in fire within savannas, grasslands, and croplands. Forest, peat, and deforestation fires did not exhibit long-term trends. GFED5 global burned area is 93 % higher than MCD64A1, 61 % higher than GFED4s, and in closer agreement with burned area products from higher-resolution satellite sensors. These data may reduce discrepancies between fire emission estimates from top-down and bottom-up approaches, and improve understanding of global fire impacts on the carbon cycle and climate system.