Observations of Vegetation Fires with the Along Track Scanning Radiometer-2

By M. J. Wooster and D. A. Rothery

Session : Forest/Vegetation
Data from the ERS Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) provides shortwave 
and longwave infrared spectral radiance measurements that can be used to 
detect vegetation fire activity occurring at a sub-pixel ( < 1km?) scale. 
 By using ascending node data, the absence of reflected sunlight allows the 
spectral radiance signal to be directly related to the thermal emission from 
the fire.  It is possible that such measurements may provide a method of 
remotely estimating the fire intensity and type of fire, which can both 
effect the degree and type of burning that occurs and the constituency of 
the burn products.  The effect of fire (i.e. fire scarring and post-fire 
vegetation regrowth) can also be observed using descending node (daytime) 
data from the ATSR visible and near-infrared channels.  Since ATSR provides 
global data at a high-repeat frequency it potentially offers a source of 
information on global-scale vegetation fire activity.  Examples from a 
series of different ecosystems and climates are
demonstrated here.

Keywords: ESA European Space Agency - Agence spatiale europeenne, observation de la terre, earth observation, satellite remote sensing, teledetection, geophysique, altimetrie, radar, chimique atmospherique, geophysics, altimetry, radar, atmospheric chemistry