Join ESIIL Director, Dr. Jennifer K. Balch virtually for her talk at the National Science Foundation, July 10, 11-12 ET. Please email esiil@colorado.edu for the webinar link.

Abstract: Fire is a great integrator, requiring a constellation of data to build a global picture of drivers and impacts. It has three main ingredients: fuel to burn, hot & dry conditions, and an ignition source. People are changing all three. The number of wildfires, the area burned, and the speed of fires has increased over the past several decades in the western U.S. Some of the most expensive wildfire seasons in the U.S. occurred in just the past five years, costing over $40B. We need to learn to live with fire, again. But how? 

Ultimately, we need to leverage the wealth of data on fire to develop resilience solutions, such as burning better and building better. There are rich data opportunities, from satellites to social media, that provide insights into wildfire drivers and impacts. Further, advanced artificial intelligence (AI) approaches can show us how wildfires are changing and what and who is most at risk. Fire science critically needs a synthesis science approach that centers on building large, collaborative teams empowered by cutting-edge cyberinfrastructure to explore big Earth data. Looking forward, data-driven scenarios will help us to see strategies for dealing with our fiery future and develop risk reduction solutions that better protect American lives and property.