A combined Radar and optical algorithm for refining temporal information in the MODIS burned area product using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Imagery
Abstract
Wildland fires and biomass burning result in destruction and removal of vegetation, resulting in a unique signal detectable by multispectral remote sensing and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). However, in many regions, such as Southeast Asia, persistent cloud cover and aerosols can temporarily obstruct optical satellite observations of burned area, such as the MODIS MCD64A1 burned area product. This leads to high burn date uncertainty (i.e. wide range of days when the burn could have occurred) because clear surface reflectance observations are required. In this paper, we prototype a combined SAR- optical algorithm in a high fire area of Southeast Asia, exploiting the benefits of each sensor. We use Sentinel-1 C-band SAR and MCD64A1 to demonstrate the ability to improve upon estimated burn date and reduce the associated potential burn date range (uncertainty). Improved burned area products would benefit an array of science applications including air quality, environmental health, and environmental management.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMNH23E0886L
- Keywords:
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- 1616 Climate variability;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1920 Emerging informatics technologies;
- INFORMATICSDE: 4313 Extreme events;
- NATURAL HAZARDSDE: 4341 Early warning systems;
- NATURAL HAZARDS