Multi-sensor analysis of the effects of fire in the Alaskan boreal forest

Fire is a significant natural process throughout the world´s boreal forests, with 10 to 25 million acres burning annually. These fires tend to cover large areas. During severe fire years, forest fires >100,000 acres in size are the norm, and fires >1 million acres are not uncommon. Because of the remote location of boreal forests and the large size of fires, satellite-based imaging remote sensors are ideal for mapping and studying spatial characteristics of fire scars. Research has been conducted over the past several years for NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency to study fires in the Alaskan boreal forests with a variety of remote sensors. Research has also been directed towards conducting field surveys of the effects of fires in order to better understand the characteristics of fire signatures. Examples of fire signatures are presented from three different satellite remote sensing systems, one operating in the visible and near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum (AVHRR) and two operating in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum (the ERS- and JERS-1 synthetic aperture radars). In this paper, the signatures from the various remote sensors are presented and compared to field measurements