![]() NASA and NOAA Missions for Monitoring Global Fires | |||
Different satellites provide observation and measurement capabilities for monitoring different fire characteristics: areas that are dry and susceptible to wildfire outbreak, actively flaming and smoldering fires, burned area, and smoke and trace gas emissions. Several satellite systems are currently available for fire monitoring with different capabilities in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity, spectral bands, and times and frequencies of overpasses. Fires vary widely in size, duration, temperature, and in the tropics, where it is moist and humid, fires have a strong diurnal cycle. No one system provides optimal characteristics for fire monitoringmulti-sensor data fusion is needed to optimize the use of current systems.
Active fire mapping on a global scale using a single satellite system has been coordinated by the International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP) using AVHRR data for 1992-93 from international ground stations. In addition, a small number of countries have developed their own regional AVHRR satellite fire monitoring systems using direct read-out; e.g., Brazil, Russia, and Senegal. Research groups have provided regional examples of trace gas and particulate emissions from fires for Brazil, Southern Africa, Alaska.
In late 1999, NASA launches the first in a series of new Earth remote sensors that will bring dramatically improved capabilities for global monitoring of fires. The Earth Observing System's flagship spacecraftTerra (formerly named EOS AM-1)will carry a payload of five sensors that, collectively, greatly expand scientists' capacity for near-real-time fire monitoring, while more accurately measuring emission products. The Terra spacecraft will fly in a near-polar orbit, crossing the equator in the morning when cloud cover is at a minimum and its view of the surface is least obstructed. Subsequently, in 2000, the Aqua (formerly EOS PM-1) spacecraft will launch into a near-polar orbit crossing the equator in the afternoon, to observe the daily variability of surface features. back: Aerosol Emissions
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![]() Global Fire Monitoring Related Case Studies
Related Data Sets
From Top: This fire occured in Laguna Beach, CA, near Los Angeles, on November 2, 1993. It was observed by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), flown on NOAA's polar orbiting weather satellites, which can detect the heat from fires in thermal infrared wavelengths, and can image smoke in visible and near infrared bands. (Image by Robert Simmon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, based on NOAA data) In May, June, and July, 1998, several fires burned out of control on the east coast of Florida. This image is from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, GOES-8. Like AVHRR, the instruments aboard NOAA's geostationary weather satellites detect fires and smoke in visible, near infrared, and thermal infrared wavelengths. Because the orbits of GOES satellites are synchronized with the Earth's rotation, they continuously view portions of the Earth's surface. (Image by Dennis Chesters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, based on NOAA data) The pink and yellow areas in this image are the remnants of fires - burn scars. This image was Landsat series satellites only pass over an area once every 14 days, so they are used to map the effects of fires, rather than their occurence and progress. (For more information about this image, see: Mapping Landcover and Fire Extent with Satellite Data.) (Image courtesy Dave Knapp) Particulates contained in smoke (aerosols) are difficult to measure from satellites, but recently NASA scientists used Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data to chart the spread of smoke from large fire outbreaks, such as those in Western Brazil during August, 1998. (Image by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center TOMS project) In the spring of 1998 drought conditions led to the spread of wildfires throughout Southeast Asia. The Island of Borneo was especially hard hit. This image from TRMM's Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) shows fires (red) and smoke (mixed with clouds) from March 1, 1998. (Image by Greg Shirah, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio) |