The accurate estimation of cropland burned area is vital for calculating fire emissions and supporting agricultural decision-making. Widely used global coarse-resolution datasets like GFED4, FireCCI51 GRID, and MCD64CMG often oversimplify cropland burning, a crucial but frequently overlooked fire type. Addressing this gap, we introduce Global Cropland Area Burned (GloCAB), the first global remotely sensed dataset specifically focused on mapping crop-residue burned area.

GloCAB Version 1.0 maps burned area between July 2002 and December 2020 at a 0.25-degree spatial resolution, providing critical data for integrating with GFED5 and adaptability to other products. It incorporates crop-specific burned area conversion factors for major crops such as winter wheat, spring wheat, maize, rice, and sugarcane. Our methodology leverages meticulously mapped field-level cropland burned area data from five countries, covering 190,650 fields, providing a robust foundation for understanding cropland burning dynamics. Our findings reveal that the annual cropland burned area from 2003 to 2020 fluctuated between 64 Mha (2018) and 102 Mha (2008), averaging 81 Mha—significantly higher than MCD64A1's reported 32 Mha, an input to GFED4. A previous study applying our method in Ukraine identified 4000 times more cropland burned area than reported in the UNFCCC's national greenhouse gas inventory, highlighting a substantial underrepresentation with potentially significant environmental and socio-political implications.

Accurate quantification of human-induced fire dynamics is essential for effective resource management and policy formulation. Addressing open agricultural burning requires comprehensive data and a focused methodology. With its unbiased perspective, Earth Observation technology is crucial for understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of burning and subsequent emissions. This understanding empowers targeted mitigation efforts. GloCAB represents a significant advancement in enhancing the accuracy of global cropland burned area and subsequent emissions, supporting informed environmental management strategies and agricultural resilience.