SERVIR partnership increases capabilities of Himalaya regional organization ICIMOD

EarthzineArticles, Climate, Disasters, Earth Observation, Original, Quick Looks, Sections

SERVIR continues to put resources into the hands of local experts through its newest partnership with regional Himalaya development organization ICIMOD. With supplemental resources from SERVIR, ICIMOD has increased capacity in its member states and developed a forest fire monitoring system based on satellite data.

Urban Climate Archipelagos: A New Framework for Urban Impacts on Climate

EarthzineArticles, Climate, Original, Sections

ring of asphalt Urban Climate Archipelagos (UCAs) are proposed as a way to frame the emerging aggregations of urban land. As the Earth becomes increasingly ‰ÛÏurbanized,‰Û UCAs will likely play an increasing role in the climate system. At the same time, model spatial resolutions are approaching the dimensions to represent adequately ever-expanding urban footprints and UCAs. Herein, we offer a framework for one facet of the urban climate community to consider.

Wildfire Management – Recent Experiences on the Ground and how Remote Observation can add to the Picture

EarthzineArticles, Disasters, Earth Observation, OpEd, Original, Wildfires Theme

For all the recent progress in Earth Observation technologies, wildfires remain a serious problem that poses ever-increasing challenges to our ingenuity. Minimizing their often-dramatic environmental and human impacts will require a smart combination of technology, political decision, and willingness to accept changes in our own individual and collective options as societies. In order to show how fire hazard is threatening many parts of the world on a recurrent basis, details are provided on the recent severe 2013 fire season in Portugal, along with background information on remote sensing of wildfires and related disaster risk management challenges.

Space-based Information Support for Prevention and Recovery of Forest Fire Emergency in the Mediterranean Area

EarthzineArticles, Original, Sections, Themed Articles, Wildfires Theme

The European Commission has recently adopted an approach to natural and man-made disasters that emphasizes joint efforts over separate national ones. The Prevention and Recovery of Forest Fire Emergency in the Mediterranean Area (PREFER) project will stimulate coordination among countries on forest fires prevention by providing timely Earth observation products based on all available space-borne sensors within the next four years.

Live Fuel Moisture Content Derived from Remote Sensing Estimates in Temperate Shrublands and Grasslands

EarthzineArticles, Ecosystems, Original, Sections, Themed Articles, Wildfires Theme

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The paper proposes a new approach to estimating live fuel moisture content, a key variable in fire danger assessment. Our proposed model uses an alternative inversion procedure based on the look-up table technique. The model outperforms already-published Mediterranean models in estimated moisure content in the temperate grassland and shrubland of Spain’s Eurosiberian ecosystem.