Global assessment of the temporal reporting accuracy and precision of the MODIS burned area product

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Boschetti ◽  
David P. Roy ◽  
Christopher O. Justice ◽  
Louis Giglio

A method for the systematic evaluation of the temporal reporting accuracy and precision of burned area products conducted using active fire detections as the reference dataset is described. The method is applied globally to 6 years of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) burned area and active fire product data. The distribution of the time difference between active fire and burned area detections that occur within 90 days is analysed and summary statistics extracted globally. The median time difference in reporting between the MODIS burned area and the active fire product detections is 1 day and the majority of MODIS burned area product detections occur temporally close to an active fire detection: 50% within a single day and 75% within 4 days. Users of the MODIS burned area product with temporal reporting requirements should be aware of these findings if using the approximate day of burning information provided in the burned area product.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nickolas Castro Santana ◽  
Osmar Abílio de Carvalho Júnior ◽  
Roberto Arnaldo Trancoso Gomes ◽  
Renato Fontes Guimarães

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products are the most used in burned-area monitoring, on regional and global scales. This research aims to evaluate the accuracy of the MODIS burned-area and active-fire products to describe fire patterns in Brazil in the period 2001–2015. The accuracy analysis, in the year 2015, compared the MODIS products (MCD45/MCD64) and the burned areas extracted by the visual interpretation of the LANDSAT/Operational Land Imager (OLI) images from the confusion matrix. The accuracy analysis of the active-fire products (MOD14/MYD14) in the year 2015 used linear regression. We used the most accurate burned-area product (MCD64), in conjunction with environmental variables of land use and climate. The MCD45 product presented a high error of commission (>36.69%) and omission (>77.04%) for the whole country. The MCD64 product had fewer errors of omission (64.05%) compared with the MCD45 product, but increased errors of commission (45.85%). MCD64 data in 2001–2015 showed three fire domains in Brazil determined by the climatic pattern. Savanna and grassy areas in semi-humid zones are the most prone areas to fire, burning an average of 25% of their total area annually, with a fire return interval of 5–6 years.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Mamadou Baïlo Barry ◽  
Daouda Badiane ◽  
Saïdou Moustapha Sall ◽  
Moussa Diakhaté ◽  
Habib Senghor

The relationships between the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System components and the monthly burned area as well as the number of active fire which has taken from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua/TERRA were investigated in 32 Guinean stations between 2003 and 2013. A statistical analysis based on a multi-linear regression model was used to estimate the skills of FWI components on the predictability of burned area and active fire. This statistical analysis gave performances explaining between 16 to 79% of the variance for the burned areas and between 29 and 82% of the variance for the number of fires (P<0.0001) at lag 0. Respectively 16 to 79 % and 29 to 82 % of the variance of the burned areas and variance for the number of fires (P<0.0001) at lag0 can be explained based on the same statistical analysis. All the combinations used gave significant performances to predict the burned areas and active fire on the monthly timescale in all stations excepted Fria and Yomou where the predictability of the burned areas was not obvious. We obtained a significant correlation between the average over all of the stations of burned areas, active fires and FWI composites with percentage of variance between (75 to 84% and 29 to 77%) for active fires and burned areas at lag0 respectively. While for burned area peak (January), the skill of the predictability remains significant only one month in advance, for the active fires, the model remains skilful 1 to 3 months in advance. Results also showed that active fires are more related to fire behavior indices while the burned areas are related to the fine fuel moisture codes. These outcomes have implications for seasonal forecasting of active fire events and burned areas based on FWI components, as significant predictability is found from 1 to 3 months and one month before respectively.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Merino-de-Miguel ◽  
Federico González-Alonso ◽  
Margarita Huesca ◽  
Dolors Armenteras ◽  
Carol Franco

Abstract Satellite-based strategies for burned area mapping may rely on two types of remotely sensed data: postfire reflectance images and active fire detection. This study uses both methods in a synergistic way. In particular, burned area mapping is carried out using MCD43B4 [Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS); Terra + Aqua nadir bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF); adjusted reflectance 16-day L3 global 1-km sinusoidal grid V005 (SIN)] postfire datasets and MODIS active fire products. The developed methodology was tested in Colombia, an area not covered by any known MODIS ground antenna, using data from 2004. The resulting burned area map was validated using a high-spatial-resolution Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image and compared to two global burned area products: L3JRC (terrestrial ecosystem monitoring global burnt area product) and MCD45A1 (MODIS Terra + Aqua burned area monthly global 500-m SIN grid V005). The results showed that this method would be of great interest at regional to national scales because it proved to be quick, accurate, and cost effective.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (22) ◽  
pp. 13041-13057 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Thonat ◽  
C. Crevoisier ◽  
N. A. Scott ◽  
A. Chédin ◽  
R. Armante ◽  
...  

Abstract. Five years (July 2007 to June 2012) of CO tropospheric columns derived from the hyperspectral Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on-board Metop-A are used to study the impact of fires on the concentrations of CO in the troposphere. Following Chédin et al. (2005, 2008), who found a quantitative relation between the daily tropospheric excess of CO2 and fire emissions, we show that tropospheric CO also displays a diurnal signal with a seasonality that agrees well with the seasonal evolution of fires given by Global Fire Emission Database version 3 (GFED3.1) and Global Fire Assimilation System version 1 (GFAS1.0) emissions and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 5 burned area product. Unlike day- or night-time CO fields, which mix local emissions with nearby emissions transported to the region of study, the day–night difference of CO allows to highlight the CO signal due to local fire emissions. A linear relationship between CO fire emissions from the GFED3.1 and GFAS1.0 inventories and the diurnal difference of IASI CO was found over various regions in the tropics, with a better agreement with GFAS1.0 (correlation coefficient of R2 ∼ 0.7) than GFED3.1 (R2 ∼ 0.6). Based on the specificity of the two main phases of the combustion (flaming vs. smoldering) and on the vertical sensitivity of the sounder to CO, the following mechanism is proposed to explain such a CO diurnal signal: at night, after the passing of IASI at 21:30 local time (LT), a large amount of CO emissions from the smoldering phase is trapped in the boundary layer before being uplifted the next morning by natural and pyroconvection up to the free troposphere, where it is seen by IASI at 09:30 LT. The results presented here highlight the need to take into account the specificity of both the flaming and smoldering phases of fire emissions in order to fully take advantage of CO observations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (16) ◽  
pp. 3147-3164 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Brennan ◽  
Jose L. Gómez-Dans ◽  
Mathias Disney ◽  
Philip Lewis

Abstract. Quantitative information on the error properties of global satellite-derived burned area (BA) products is essential for evaluating the quality of these products, e.g. against modelled BA estimates. We estimate theoretical uncertainties for three widely used global satellite-derived BA products using a multiplicative triple collocation error model. The approach provides spatially unique uncertainties at 1∘ for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Collection 6 burned area product (MCD64), the MODIS Collection 5.1 (MCD45) product, and the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Change Initiative Fire product version 5.0 (FireCCI50) for 2001–2013. The uncertainties on mean global burned area for three products are 3.76±0.15×106 km2 for MCD64, 3.70±0.17×106 km2 for FireCCI50, and 3.31±0.18×106 km2 for MCD45. These correspond to relative uncertainties of 4 %–5.5 % and also indicate previous uncertainty estimates to be underestimated. Relative uncertainties are 8 %–10 % in Africa and Australia, for example, and larger in regions with less annual burned area. The method provides uncertainties that are likely to be more consistent with modelling and data analysis studies due to their spatially explicit properties. These properties are also intended to allow spatially explicit validation of current burned area products.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Fangjun Li ◽  
Xiaoyang Zhang ◽  
Shobha Kondragunta

Biomass burning plays a key role in the interaction between the atmosphere and the biosphere. The nearly two-decade-old Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fire product provides critical information (e.g., fire radiative power or FRP) for characterizing fires and estimating smoke emissions. Due to limitations of sensing geometry, MODIS fire detection capability degrades at off-nadir angles and the sensor misses the observation of fires occurring inside its equatorial swath gaps. This study investigates missing MODIS FRP observations using the 375 m Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) active fire data across Africa where fire occurs in the majority of vegetation-covered areas and significantly contributes to global biomass-burning emissions. We first examine the FRP relationship between the two sensors on a continental scale and in grids of seven different resolutions. We find that MODIS misses a considerable number of low-intensity fires across Africa, which results in the underestimation of daily MODIS FRP by at least 42.8% compared to VIIRS FRP. The underestimation of MODIS FRP varies largely with grid size and satellite view angle. Based on comparisons of grid-level FRP from the two sensors, adjustment models are established at seven resolutions from 0.05°–0.5° for mitigating the underestimation of MODIS grid FRP. Furthermore, the investigation of the effect of equatorial swath gaps on MODIS FRP observations reveals that swath gaps could lead to the underestimation of MODIS monthly summed FRP by 12.5%. The quantitative information of missing MODIS FRP helps to improve our understanding of potential uncertainties in the MODIS FRP based applications, especially emissions estimation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico González-Alonso ◽  
Silvia Merino-de-Miguel

The present paper presents an algorithm that synergistically combines data from four different parts of the spectrum (near-, shortwave, middle- and thermal infrared) to produce a reliable burned-area map. It is based on the use of a modified version of the BAIM (MODIS – Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer – Burned Area Index) together with active fire information. The following study focusses in particular on an image from the AWiFS (Advanced Wide Field Sensor) sensor dated 21 August 2006 and MODIS active fires detected during the first 20 days of August as well as ancillary maps and information. The methodology was tested in Galicia (north-west Spain) where hundreds of forest fires occurred during the first 20 days of August 2006. Burned area data collected from the present work was compared with official fire statistics from both the Spanish Ministry of the Environment and the Galician Forestry Service. The speed, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of this method suggest that it would be of great interest for use at both regional and national levels.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 26003-26039 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Thonat ◽  
C. Crevoisier ◽  
N. A. Scott ◽  
A. Chédin ◽  
R. Armante ◽  
...  

Abstract. Five years (July 2007–June 2012) of CO tropospheric columns derived from the IASI hyperspectral infrared sounder onboard Metop-A are used to study the impact of fires on the concentrations of CO in the mid-troposphere. Following Chédin et al. (2005, 2008), who showed the existence of a daily tropospheric excess of CO2 quantitatively related to fire emissions, we show that tropospheric CO also displays a diurnal signal with a seasonality that is in very good agreement with the seasonal evolution of fires given by GFED3.1 (Global Fire Emission Database) emissions and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) burned area. Unlike daytime or nighttime CO fields, which mix local emissions with nearby emissions transported to the region of study, the day-night difference of CO allows to highlight the CO signal due to local fire emissions. A linear relationship is found in the whole tropical region between CO fire emissions from the GFED3.1 inventory and the diurnal difference of IASI CO (R2 ~ 0.6). Based on the specificity of the two main phases of the combustion (flaming vs. smoldering) and on the vertical sensitivity of the sounder to CO, the following mechanism is proposed to explain such a CO diurnal signal: at night, after the passing of IASI at 9.30 p.m. LT, a large amount of CO emissions from the smoldering phase is trapped in the boundary layer before being uplifted the next morning by natural and pyro-convection up to the free troposphere, where it is seen by IASI at 9.30 a.m. LT. The results presented here highlight the need for developing complementary approaches to bottom-up emissions inventories and for taking into account the specificity of both the flaming and smoldering phases of fire emissions in order to fully take advantage of CO observations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rose Marie Miller ◽  
Greg M. McFarquhar ◽  
Robert M. Rauber ◽  
Joseph R. O'Brien ◽  
Siddhant Gupta ◽  
...  

Abstract. During the three years of the ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS (ORACLES) campaign, the NASA Orion P-3 was equipped with a 2D-Stereo (2D-S) probe that imaged particles with maximum dimension (D) ranging from 10 < D < 1280 µm. The 2D-S recorded supermicron-sized aerosol particles (SAPs) outside of clouds within biomass burning plumes during flights over the Southeast Atlantic off Africa’s coast. Numerous SAPs with 10 < D < 1520 µm were observed in 2017 and 2018 at altitudes between 1230 m and 3500 m, 1000 km from the coastline mostly between 7–11° S. No SAPs were observed in 2016 as flights were conducted further south and further from the coastline. Number concentrations of black carbon (rBC) measured by a single particle soot photometer ranged from 200 to 1200 cm−3 when SAPs were observed. Transmission electron microscopy images of submicron particulates, collected on Holey carbon grid filters, revealed particles with potassium salts, black carbon and organics while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy spectra detected potassium, a tracer for biomass burning, indicating that the submicron particles originated from biomass burning in addition to black carbon. NOAA Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) three-day back trajectories show a source in northern Angola for times when large SAPs were observed. Fire Information for Resource Management System Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 6 active fire maps showed extensive biomass burning at these locations. Given the back trajectories, the high number concentrations of rBC, and the presence of elemental tracers indicative of biomass burning, it is hypothesized that the SAPs imaged by the 2D-S are examples of unburned plant material previously seen in biomass burning smoke close to the source.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 5423
Author(s):  
José A. Moreno-Ruiz ◽  
José R. García-Lázaro ◽  
Manuel Arbelo ◽  
Manuel Cantón-Garbín

This paper presents an accuracy assessment of the main global scale Burned Area (BA) products, derived from daily images of the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Fire_CCI 5.1 and MCD64A1 C6, as well as the previous versions of both products (Fire_CCI 4.1 and MCD45A1 C5). The exercise was conducted on the boreal region of Alaska during the period 2000–2017. All the BA polygons registered by the Alaska Fire Service were used as reference data. Both new versions doubled the annual BA estimate compared to the previous versions (66% for Fire_CCI 5.1 versus 35% for v4.1, and 63% for MCD64A1 C6 versus 28% for C5), reducing the omission error (OE) by almost one half (39% versus 67% for Fire_CCI and 48% versus 74% for MCD) and slightly increasing the commission error (CE) (7.5% versus 7% for Fire_CCI and 18% versus 7% for MCD). The Fire_CCI 5.1 product (CE = 7.5%, OE = 39%) presented the best results in terms of positional accuracy with respect to MCD64A1 C6 (CE = 18%, OE = 48%). These results suggest that Fire_CCI 5.1 could be suitable for those users who employ BA standard products in geoinformatics analysis techniques for wildfire management, especially in Boreal regions. The Pareto boundary analysis, performed on an annual basis, showed that there is still a potential theoretical capacity to improve the MODIS sensor-based BA algorithms.


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