Understanding the Burning Questions: Wildfire Dynamics and Its Interaction with Ecosystems, Human, and Climate

Wildfire plays a critical role in shaping ecosystems and climate, yet its impacts vary widely across regions and are influenced by both natural variability and human activities. In this presentation, I will discuss my research on wildfire dynamics and their cascading effects on ecosystems and the Earth system. Drawing on remote sensing, process-based fire models, and machine learning, my work focuses on three central questions: (1) What climate factors drive fire occurrence and spread? (2) How do human activities influence fire occurrence and behavior and (3) How do fires reshape terrestrial ecosystems, both immediately and over longer timescales? By advancing understanding of fire processes and impacts through multi-method analyses, my research aims to improve predictions of wildfire behavior and to assess its ecological consequences under a changing climate.