MRBA60 Monthly Harmonisation Mask

This dataset contains the harmonisation mask associated with the production of the Harmonised Medium Resolution Burned Area product version 6.0.0 (MRBA60). The files do not contain burned area values. They provide a monthly status mask indicating no-data cells, where the MRBA60 harmonisation was applied, and where the original FireCCI51 value was retained. The mask covers the harmonised period 2003–2018, when MRBA60 was generated by modelling the relationship between FireCCI51 and the Sentinel-3 based MRBA60 reference period. Dataset content The dataset is distributed as annual NetCDF files. Each file contains 12 monthly layers for one calendar year. File naming convention: YYYY0101-ESACCI-L4_FIRE-HARMONISATION-MASK-MR_HAR-fv6.0.0.nc Example: 20030101-ESACCI-L4_FIRE-HARMONISATION-MASK-MR_HAR-fv6.0.0.nc Each NetCDF file contains the following main variable: harmonisation_mask(lon, lat, time) Interpretation of the mask A value of 0 indicates no data. A value of 1 indicates that the corresponding grid cell and month was harmonised to produce MRBA60. A value of 2 indicates that the original FireCCI51 value was retained. This occurred when harmonisation was not applied, either because there were insufficient training samples for the corresponding biome, season or grid context, or because the value was outside the training-domain conditions observed during the 2019–2024 reference period. This mask is therefore an auxiliary traceability layer for the MRBA60 production workflow. Spatial and temporal coverage Spatial coverage: Longitude: -180 to 180 degrees Latitude: -90 to 90 degrees Spatial resolution: 0.25 degrees Grid: regular latitude-longitude grid Coordinate reference system: WGS84 Temporal coverage: Start: January 2003 End: December 2018 Temporal resolution: monthly Each annual file contains 12 monthly time steps. NetCDF structure The files follow a CF-compliant NetCDF structure consistent with the MRBA60 gridded product. Typical dimensions: bounds = 2 lon = 1440 lat = 720 time = 12 Typical variables: lon(lon) lat(lat) time(time) lon_bounds(bounds, lon) lat_bounds(bounds, lat) time_bounds(bounds, time) crs harmonisation_mask(lon, lat, time) The harmonisation mask is stored as an integer variable. Important note This dataset is not a burned area product. It should not be used as burned area data. It is an auxiliary mask designed to document no-data cells, where the MRBA60 harmonisation procedure was applied, and where FireCCI51 was retained during the generation of the harmonised burned area product. Suggested use The mask can be used to: identify no-data grid cells and months; identify grid cells and months directly harmonised in MRBA60; identify grid cells and months where FireCCI51 was retained; support quality control and traceability of the MRBA60 product; distinguish modelled harmonised values from retained original FireCCI51 values in subsequent analyses. Related product This mask is associated with the MRBA60 burned area product: MRBA60: Harmonised Medium Resolution Burned Area product, version 6.0.0 Developer contact: [e-mail]