January forest fires in California have devastated local habitats and communities. In an effort to better understand the behavior of forest fires, NASA scientists and engineers have tried to learn events by testing new technologies.
The new instrument, the spectral tracker of infrared infrared with compact fire (C-STAs), was tested when the NASA B200 King Air planes flew over forest fires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California. Based in the Armstrong Flight Research Center of NASA in Edwards, California, the plane used the C-ST instrument to observe the impacts of fires in almost real time. Due to its small size and its ability to effectively simulate a satellite mission, the B200 King Air is particularly suitable for testing C-STRI.
Managed and exploited by Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA in southern California, C-STRs brings together thermal infrared images in high resolution and other data on the ground to study the impacts of forest fires on ecology. In a single observation, C -STS can capture the full temperature range through a large area of forest fires – as well as the fresh and not burned background – potentially increasing both the quantity and quality of the scientific data produced.
“Currently, no instrument is able to cover the entire range of attributes for the fires present in the earthly system,” said Sarath Gunapala, principal researcher for C-STAs at NASA JPL. “This leads to gaps in our understanding of the number of fires and crucial characteristics such as size and temperature.”
For decades, the quality of the infrared images has trouble transmitting the nuances of high temperature surfaces above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (550 degrees Celsius). The blurred resolution and the light saturation of infrared images inhibited the understanding of scientists of extremely hot terrain and thus inhibited research on forest fires. Historically, extremely hot target images often did not have the details that scientists need to understand the range of impacts of a fire on an ecosystem.
To remedy it, NASA Earth Sciences Technology Office Supported the development by JPL of the C-ST instrument, combining advanced imaging technology with a compact and efficient design. When C-STROST was airborne, scientists could detect fires that flow more precisely and more quickly, while gathering important information on active fires in close time.
“These flowing fires can dangle if the wind resumes,” said Gunapala. “Consequently, the C-FIRST data could provide very important information to the fire-fighting agencies to fight fires more effectively.”
For example, C-STS data can help scientists estimate the probability of spreading a fire in a certain landscape, allowing managers to monitor the foliage more effectively and follow how fires are evolving. In addition, C-FIRST can collect detailed data that can allow scientists to understand how an ecosystem can recover fire events.
“The requirements of the C-ST instrument meet the King Air flight profile,” said KC Sujan, operations engineer of the B200 King Air. “The C-STHT team wanted rapid integration, the flight speed in the 130 and 140 knots beach on a flight, communication and navigation systems, and the power requirement of the instruments which are perfectly suited to the capacities of King Air.”
By first testing the instrument aboard the B200 King Air, the C-STO team can assess its preparation for future satellite missions investigating with forest fires. On an evolving planet where forest fires are increasingly common, instruments like C-STIs could provide data that can help agencies to fight fire to fight more effectively and understand the ecosystem impacts of extreme meteorological events.