Satellite studies of biomass burning in Amazonia—some practical aspects

Abstract

Remote sensing from space is the only technique that can be used operationally to detect, monitor and map biomass burning of tropical forests on large or global scales. However, high and low resolution imagery from existing satellites present many limitations in such studies. This paper discusses some of these limitations based on case studies in the tropical forests of Amazonia. Results showed that Thematic Mapper (TM/Landsat) images provide estimates of the area burned in association with new deforestation, but because of cloud cover and low frequency of acquisition, are limited in indicating the total extent of fire activity. Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/NOAA) images detect fires on a daily basis and are suitable for real‐time operational use to identify and locate fires, but are of limited value for estimating the area burned or the fire temperature.