Global post-fire soil erosion

Wildfires induce significant disturbances to topsoil properties, increasing surface runoff and accelerating soil erosion. Despite extensive research, a global, spatially explicit quantification of cumulative post-fire erosion has been missing. This dataset addresses that gap by providing annual global estimates of post-fire soil erosion from 2001–2019. Soil loss is quantified using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), where post-fire modifications to cover-management (C) factors parameterized to account for burn severity and land cover characteristics after fire. The dataset integrates erosion estimates with spatial information enabling the assessment of cumulative soil degradation driven by repeated burns. This resource supports global-scale analysis of wildfire-induced land degradation and offers a basis for post-fire risk mitigation and policy strategies aligned with Land Degradation Neutrality targets.
Resource Type: 
Datasets
Soil Threats Data
Registration is requested: 
Yes
Year: 
2026
Themes: 
Erosion by water
Erosion by water›Post-fire Soil Erosion
Keywords: 
fires

Title: Global Dataset of cumulative post fire soil erosion estimates (2001–2019).
Description: Wildfires affect land surface and post-fire geomorphological activity worldwide, increasing surface runoff and soil erosion. However, a global quantitative assessment considering the cumulative effect of several wildfires is still missing. Here we present a global assessment of post-fire soil erosion, considering cumulative wildfire-driven geomorphological changes over the last two decades. We estimate global trends of post-fire soil erosion using a global database on wildfire occurrence and fire severity, and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model together with the recovery of those burned landscapes by remote sensed data. Our results show that when considering multiple wildfire events, global post-fire soil erosion accounts for 8.1 ± 0.72 Pg (billion tons) annually, representing 19% of the global soil erosion budget and an additional 5.1 ± 0.56 Pg soil erosion annually in comparison to pre-fire conditions. Moreover, soil erosion attributed to the first post-fire year represents 31% of the total soil erosion, whereas the remaining share can be attributed to previous wildfire occurrences. Globally, Africa is the continent that is impacted the most in terms of post-fire soil erosion, given its substantially larger burned area. Our results illustrate the magnitude of post-fire soil erosion globally and therefore support post-fire management actions towards the mitigation and restoration of affected areas and policies towards land-degradation neutrality.

This dataset contains the soil erosion estimations resulting of a study that mapped pre and post-fire soil erosion at global scale. Separated zip files containing 2 GeoTIFF (PRE & POST) per each year are provided at 1000 m resolution, from 2001 to year 2019. The maps express Soil loss (Mg ha-1 y-1) considering punctual value. When you calculate surfaces and/or total soil loss please take into account that 1 pixel =100 hectares

Spatial coverage: Global
Pixel size: 1km x 1km   - Unit: tons ha-1 yr-1
Temporal coverage:  2001-2019 
Projection: EPSG:6933 - WGS 84 / NSIDC EASE-Grid 2.0 Globa

Reference: Vieira, D.C.S., Borrelli, P., Scarpa, S., Liakos, L., Ballabio, C., Panagos. P. 2026. Global estimation of post-fire soil erosion. Nature Geosciesce 19: 59–67 (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01876-0 

Note: Dataset at higher resolution (200 m) is also available in Zenodo but in different tiles to be assembled. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.17404150

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  • The data provided has been prepared for use by internal research activities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC). JRC has also collaborated with other stakeholders for this work.
  • The data are the result of JRC research activities and are primarily made available for further research. The JRC does not accept any liability whatsoever for any error, missing data or omission in the data, or for any loss or damage arising from its use. The JRC agrees to provide the data free of charge but is not bound to justify the content and values contained in the databases.
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Reference of source (Citations) :

Vieira, D.C.S., Borrelli, P., Scarpa, S., Liakos, L., Ballabio, C., Panagos. P. 2026. Global estimation of post-fire soil erosion. Nature Geosciesce 19: 59–67 (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01876-0 

When making reference to the ESDAC

  • Panagos, P., Van Liedekerke, M., Borrelli, P., Köninger, J., Ballabio, C., Orgiazzi, A., Lugato, E., Liakos, L., Hervas, J., Jones, A.  Montanarella, L. 2022. European Soil Data Centre 2.0: Soil data and knowledge in support of the EU policies. European Journal of Soil Science, 73(6), e13315. DOI: 10.1111/ejss.13315
  • Panagos P., Van Liedekerke M., Jones A., Montanarella L., “European Soil Data Centre: Response to European policy support and public data requirements”; (2012) Land Use Policy, 29 (2), pp. 329-338. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.07.003
  • European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC), esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu, European Commission, Joint Research Centre