ABSTRACT
Wildfire frequency has increased globally. These multiscale events cause vast amounts of damage and disruption at various levels. Understanding these events has become a priority in remote sensing, as monitoring is conducted at regional and global scales. The European Forest Fire Information System datasets derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor were used in this study to identify burnt areas, and Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) land cover data contributed to the assessment of spatiotemporal variability. Burnt area products were focused on for 2014 and 2015, and an examination of interannual variability was conducted. Relationships between wildfire occurrence and three main factors that affect wildfire were assessed. It was found that topography, climate, and land cover all contribute interchangeably to wildfire events. Climate change was found to be the dominant impact related to every aspect of wildfires, and interannual variability was observed. Spatiotemporal variabilities between months of the fire season were assessed, and large climatic influences were found to have caused an exceptional fire season for 2015, across Portugal.
