Assessing the Intensity of a Major Forest Fire Using Resurs-01 Satellite Imagery

Abstract

A complex method is described for estimating the intensity of effluent from a major forest fire on the basis of the geometric characteristics of the smoke plume and meteorological data. The method includes discrimination of the smoke plume from space images; estimation of plume geometric characteristics; computation of atmospheric transport of the smoke plume; determination of forest fire intensity from particulate discharge; estimation of the intensity of escape of forest fire gases. The method is tested using MSU-SK scanner data from the Resurs-01 satellite.