Leveraging the next generation of spaceborne Earth observations for fuel monitoring and wildland fire management
Abstract Managing fuels is a key strategy for mitigating the negative impacts of wildfires on people and the environment. The use of satellite‐based Earth observation data has become an important tool for managers to optimize fuel treatment planning at regional scales. Fortunately, several new sensors have been launched in the last few years, providing novel opportunities to enhance fuel characterization. Herein, we summarize the potential improvements in fuel characterization at large scale (i.e., hundreds to thousands of km 2 ) with high spatial and spectral resolution arising from the use of new spaceborne instruments with near‐global, freely‐available data. We identified sensors at spatial resolutions suitable for fuel treatment planning, featuring: lidar data for characterizing vegetation structure; hyperspectral sensors for retrieving chemical compounds and species composition; and dense time series derived from multispectral and synthetic aperture radar sensors for mapping phenology and moisture dynamics. We also highlight future hyperspectral and radar missions that will deliver valuable and complementary information for a new era of fuel load characterization from space. The data volume that is being generated may still challenge the usability by a diverse group of stakeholders. Seamless cyberinfrastructure and community engagement are paramount to guarantee the use of these cutting‐edge datasets for fuel monitoring and wildland fire management across the world.
Authors
- Christopher S.R. Neigh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5322-6340)
- Rodrigo Vieira Leite (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7840-3905)
- Shane Coffield (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0550-5126)
- Douglas C. Morton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2226-1124)
- Carine Klauberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6898-5593)
- Cibele Hummel do Amaral (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7597-2427)
- Diogo Nepomuceno Cosenza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8495-8002)
- Luiz E. O. C. Aragão (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4134-6708)
- Andrew Thomas Hudak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7480-1458)
- Carlos Alberto Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7844-3560)
- Tempest McCabe
Institutions
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa (BR)
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- University of Exeter (GB)
- University of Florida (US)
- Rocky Mountain Research Station (US)
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation
- Published
- 2024-08-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.416
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.57
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Oak Ridge Associated Universities
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Nuclear Safety and Security Commission
- English Institute of Sport
- Goddard Space Flight Center
- U.S. Forest Service
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Rocky Mountain Research Station