The Sentinel and Copernicus powered Arctic Wildfire Knowledge System (SPARKS)

(The project is also known by: The Arctic Peat- And Forest-fire Information System (APFF))

Climate change, with Arctic temperatures rising at roughly twice the global rate (Arctic amplification), is expected to increase the frequency of wildfires. This heightens public concern about climate-related impacts such as poorer air quality in nearby cities, light-absorbing emissions that accelerate ice melt, and disturbances to Earth’s radiative balance.

Fires in northern high latitudes release substantial amounts of CO₂, CH₄, NO₂, black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC), and these emissions are often transported into Arctic regions. In northern areas, melting permafrost can expose peat—partly decomposed vegetation that has accumulated in wetlands over centuries. Peat stores carbon on a scale comparable to the current atmospheric carbon pool. When peatlands dry, they become vulnerable to fires that burn deep into the peat layers. Such peat fires can smoulder for months at relatively low temperatures, producing whitish, organic-carbon-rich haze in the lowest atmosphere. In contrast, flaming wildfires generate grey to black plumes with high soot content.

SPARKS (Sentinel and Copernicus powered Arctic Wildfire Knowledge System) is a new wildfire information service for the Arctic and northern latitudes. It utilizes Sentinel satellite data, Copernicus services, and FLEXPART model output to provide valuable information for climate-aware citizens, researchers, and environmental entities. Maps showing regions with active fires and burned areas will also distinguish between peat fires and forest fires. For large fires, the maps will also display areas affected by atmospheric transport of aerosols and gases.

SPARKS is funded by the European Commission Caroline Herschel Framework Partnership Agreement on Copernicus User Uptake (FPCUP, FPA no.: 275/G/GRO/COPE/17/10042). The project is a collaboration between the Norwegian Space Agency (NOSA), the Tartu Observatory (TO), and NILU.

• https://www.copernicus-user-uptake.eu/
• https://www1.fpcup.eu/user-uptake/action-details/arctic-peat-and-forest-fire-information-system-503