Multi-year circumpolar assessment of the area burnt in boreal ecosystems using SPOT-VEGETATION

The Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute has developed a new burnt area mapping method and a five-year database to estimate biomass burning in the Earth's entire boreal region. The mapping method involved SPOT-VEGETATION time-series data analysis to detect inter-annual vegetation changes combined with MODIS hot-spot data to distinguish fire-related changes from other types of disturbances. The burnt area database actually covers the boreal biome for the period 2000-2004 with 1 km spatial resolution and 10-day time frequency, while an automatic data processing chain allows this database to be updated continuously. The accuracy assessment involved comparison with Landsat-ETM + derived burnt area estimates for Northern Eurasia and ground data for Canada. This Letter describes the satellite sensor data processing method and the results of the accuracy assessment of the burnt area database and provides burnt area statistics for the boreal region countries.