The map shows fires taking place across the globe between May 2016 and June 2023, using data from the World Fire Atlas. The atlas provides a detailed analysis of wildfires across the globe and utilised nighttime data from the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) onboard the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite. The data have been overlaid onto ESA’s World Cover map which uses data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission from 2021.
Working like a thermometer in the sky, the sensor measures thermal infrared radiation to take the temperature of Earth's land surfaces which is used to detect the fires.
Read full story: Counting wildfires across the globe