SATELLITE MONITORING OF WILDFIRES AND THEIR EFFECTS IN THE NORTHERN EURASIA

References: 17th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2017, www.sgem.org, SGEM2017 Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7408-03-4 / ISSN 1314-2704, 29 June - 5 July, 2017, Vol. 17, Issue 23, 227-238 pp, DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017/23/S10.028

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we consider such dangerous disasters as wildfires. Wildfires are global sources of gas and aerosol emissions into the atmosphere and considered as one of the main factors of environmental risk, causing disbalance of the climate system of the Northern Eurasia and the planet as a whole. Taking into account terrain features and characteristic spatial scale of the Northern Eurasia, we suggest to use a satellite monitoring system for urgent detection of fire origins and assessment of volumes of hazardous gas and aerosol emissions into the atmosphere. This paper describes peculiar features of the spatially-distributed system of satellite monitoring, including hardware and software for reception and processing of large flows of satellite imagery. The system employed allows us to perform early online detection of fire origins, determine burned out areas, and assess volumes of hazardous gas and aerosol emissions into the atmosphere. The system provides high repetition of imaging of the same region (up to 35 times a day), high speed of data processing and transmission of fire data products (10 minutes after data reception), high accuracy of fire origin registration (5.5 m min fire radius) and high probability of their correct detection (0.8–0.96). The results of wildfire satellite monitoring and assessments of burned out areas, as well as carbon bearing gas (CO2, CO) and aerosol (PM2.5) emission volumes are given here for different regions in various months between 2010 and 2016. The features of wildfire seasonal repetition and hazardous emissions due to wildfires for the areas of interest have been revealed. The results obtained prove high efficiency of remote sensing methods, technologies, and assets for urgent detection of such disasters as wildfires, as well as for assessment of volumes of carbon bearing gas and aerosol emissions into the atmosphere.

Keywords: wildfires, remote sensing, satellite monitoring, emissions, gas components, aerosols.