Efficient application of the Radiance Enhancement method for detection of the forest fires due to combustion-originated reflectance

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel Radiance Enhancement method that broadens spectral detection range for identifying forest fires and combustion aerosols, enabling more efficient and continuous fire monitoring from space-based sensors.

Contribution

It generalizes a cloud detection technique for effective identification of forest fires and aerosols across a wider spectral range using spaceborne micro-spectrometer data.

Findings

Successful detection of forest fires using the RE method.

Extended spectral range from 1100 nm to 1700 nm enhances detection capabilities.

First application of cloud detection techniques to forest fire identification.

Abstract

The existing methods for detection of the cloud scenes are applied at relatively small spectral range within shortwave upwelling radiative wavelength flux. We have reported a new method for detection of the cloud scenes based on the Radiance Enhancement (RE). This method can be used to cover a significantly wider spectral range from 1100 nm to 1700 nm by using datasets from the space-orbiting micro-spectrometer Argus 1000. Due to high sunlight reflection of the smoke originated from the forest or field fires the proposed RE method can also be implemented for detection of combustion aerosols. This approach can be a promising technique for efficient detection and continuous monitor of the seasonal forest and field fires. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report showing how a cloud method can be generalized for efficient detection of the forest fires due to combustion-originated reflectance.