Image of the day

The Portuguese island of Madeira, scarred by wildfire

Earth Observation | Copernicus
Fires
The Portuguese island of Madeira, scarred by wildfire
Location: Madeira, Portugal
Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery

The island of Madeira is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to the region. Last month, a wildfire broke out in the north-west of the island, burning more than 3,500 hectares of vegetation.

This colour-enhanced image of Madeira, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 9 November, shows the scar left by the fire.

Thanks to their high acquisition frequency, Sentinel-2 satellite data are an important source of valuable information that can be used to monitor the state of vegetation in an area after damaging events such as wildfires.

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