Ustin, Susan: University of California Davis (Project Lead)
Project Funding:
2011 - 2014
NRA: 2009 NASA: The Science of Terra and Aqua
Funded by NASA
Abstract:
Daily Fuel Moisture Content (FMC) drives wildfire ignition probability, providing information for wildfire risk assessment. If for active wildfires, it provides a meaningful indicator for estimating burning efficiency, which can be combined with MODIS thermal infrared to estimate aerosol emissions.
We propose to develop a MODIS Terra-Aqua near-real-time FMC estimation method for the Western U.S., which retrieves dry matter content (DMC) as the denominator in a ratio with canopy water content (CWC), and incorporate the method into the NASA Direct Readout System.
We build on six years of research in which we demonstrate that CWC can be accurately estimated from MODIS, in ecosystems ranging from conifer and broadleaf forests to semi-arid shrublands, savannas, and grasslands in the USA. Our current CWC algorithm has been adopted for delivery to the Goddard Direct Readout System as requested by GSFC.
The proposed FMC approach significantly advances the retrieval methodology underlying our CWC algorithm, in addition to a novel method of DMC retrieval. These advancements include: landcover-stratified subpixel-scale inversion of two complementary radiative transfer models; employing recently developed advanced trainable inversion procedures; and extending the FMC spatio-temporal coverage using state-of-the-art gap filling methodologies.
As part of the error and uncertainty analysis, historical AVIRIS data from 2000 to current will be utilized to validate the proposed FMC method and its CWC component. Additionally, we will compare our FMC retrieval to the USA National Fuel Moisture Database. We will test the value of the CWC and relative FMC for wildfire risk assessment by comparing these values with known fire ignition points occurring since 2000 to current, by combining the active fire and burned area products over natural vegetation.
Our MODIS FMC and CWC models will be extendable to VIIRS because they are based on inversion of radiative transfer models which can be applied across other spectrometers.
More details may be found in the following project profile(s):
