A key activity of the EUBURN program is the acquisition and analysis of data needed to improve knowledge and develop digital tools through the organization of unprecedented measurement
EUBURN integrates multi-year, multi-scale field campaigns, laboratory studies, satellite remotesensing and advanced modelling to establish the research foundations for understanding the complex interactions between wildfires and the atmosphere.
A wide range of transnational observation methods covering all scales of the issue will be deployed :
- at the local fire scale with civil security aerial resources equipped with miniaturized sensors for measuring fire products (location, intensity, propagation), meteorological parameters, and the chemical composition (nature, concentrations, toxicity) of atmospheric species emitted, as well as the use of fire products from satellite observations (MODIS, VIIRS)
- at the regional level with the UAR SAFIRE ATR-42 research aircraft and several mobile ground platforms equipped with in-situ and remote sensing measurement instruments
- at the territorial level, by strengthening and using observations of atmospheric plumes from European atmospheric monitoring infrastructures (ACTRIS-ERIC, AERONET, IAGOSERIC, ICOS-ERIC) and satellite-borne sensors (MTG/FCI, METOP-SG/3MI, etc.).
The complexity of processes related to forest and vegetation fires requires a multi-scale observation strategy. That’s why EUBURN consists of a series of multi-year measurement campaigns, coupled with the implementation and exploitation of continuous, long-term observations in France, Spain, and Portugal.
- SILEX (Smoke from European Wildfire Experiment) is the first measurement campaign of the EUBURN program, which took place from July 15 to August 3, 2025, in the south of France. It provided unprecedented observations of fires started in France and their plumes, from the moment they were emitted to their regional transport, as well as Portuguese, Spanish, and Canadian fires, thanks to the use of the ATR42 research aircraft operated by SAFIRE.
- FLAMEX (Fire Atmosphere Measurement EXperiment) is a series of two pioneering measurement campaigns planned for spring and summer 2026 in Andalusia, involving the deployment of a set of sensors developed through research on civil security drones, as well as a set of multi-instrumented measurement platforms (balloons and ground-based) to carry out original measurements of fire behavior and atmospheric emissions.
- These two components of the EUBURN program will provide a wealth of valuable lessons that will enable us to move forward with the large-scale campaign planned for 2027, which will cover Portugal, Spain, and France.
