Expanding a Global Collaboration to Map Extreme Wildfires using Earth Observations from Space

In January 2017, extreme wildfires broke out in Central and South-Central Chile, some spreading rapidly over the wildland-urban interface around the city of Concepción. In February 2023, more fires caused extensive devastation across the Biobío region.  

With generous support from the CGII Graduate Global Research Grant, Benjamin will work alongside climate researchers at the Universidad de Concepción (Chile) to investigate the ground conditions that allowed recent wildfires to take such proportions. 

Benjamin also plans to collaborate with partners at the European Space Agency (ESA-ESRIN) and the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) to explore how satellite data can provide critical information for assessing wildfire dangers.