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Title: The detection and interpretation of fire-disturbed boreal forest ecosystems in Alaska using spaceborne SAR data

Conference · · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)
OSTI ID:6264028
; ;  [1]
  1. Environmental Research Institute of Michigan, Ann Arbor (United States)

There is great interest in the ability to remotely monitor changes in boreal forest ecosystems for the understanding and balancing of the global carbon budget. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), particularly the ERS-1 C-VV SAR, for the detection and interpretation of fire-disturbed boreal forest ecosystems in the state of Alaska. The Alaska Fire Service has provided fire maps and records for comparison with the SAR data. Preliminary results have found that the following all have an influence on the detectability of a fire-scar (1) the time elapsed since the fire occurred, (2) the season in which the SAR data is collected, and (3) the geomorphology of the landscape in which the fire occurred. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of SAR in the estimation of the areal extent of fires. It also evaluates the potential usefulness of SAR in providing information on the spatial variability of bum intensity.

OSTI ID:
6264028
Report Number(s):
CONF-930798-; CODEN: BECLAG
Journal Information:
Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States), Vol. 74:2; Conference: 78. annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Madison, WI (United States), 31 Jul - 4 Aug 1993; ISSN 0012-9623
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English