Abstract
Abstract. Based on the DLR satellite system BIRD, launched and operated in the early 2000, the TET-1 satellite has been launched in 2012 as part of the FireBird satellite constellation. The constellation will consist of two satellites, the second one to be launched in the first half of 2016. Acquired imagery is processed and archived by DLR and will be publicly available. For this purpose, a processing chain has been implemented converting raw data (level 0 product) to geo-annotated at-sensor radiance (level 1b). Further data products can be derived, e.g. information on brightness temperature, fire radiative power, and surface emissivity. Other processing levels, such as atmospherically corrected reflectance, could also be produced. The sensitivity of a Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensor system depends on its spectral characteristics and its spatial resolution. Various methods for high temperature event (HTE) detection and quantification have been developed, which can be categorized into single- and multi-band algorithms. While single band methods rely on the robust demarcation of background pixels and higher temperature pixels, considered as being anomalous, the TET-1 system facilitates the application of the widely used bi-spectral algorithm approach introduced by Dozier (1981), using the mid-infrared and longwave-infrared channel. This approach takes advantage of the non-linear nature of the Planck’s curves to calculate temperatures and the HTE area on a sub-pixel basis. TIR remote sensing can make a significant contribution to the detection and, partly, the monitoring of land surface temperature (LST), HTE and of parameters describing the surface energy balance for specific areas.
Highlights
Thermal infrared remote sensing is an important source of information on the status of land cover and water bodies and enables the detection and monitoring of specific high temperature events (HTE) with distinct thermal characteristic different to their surroundings
Künzer and Dech (2013) state that measurement of land surface temperatures (LST) related to individual landscapes and their biophysical components and secondly the relations of LST with energy fluxes are fundamental reasons why Thermal Infrared (TIR) data contribute to an improved understanding of and surface processes
Land surface physical variables to be derived from FireBird data include HTE location, Fire Radiative Power (FRP) and, in case of vegetation fires, the fire length and fire line length
Summary
Thermal infrared remote sensing is an important source of information on the status of land cover and water bodies and enables the detection and monitoring of specific high temperature events (HTE) with distinct thermal characteristic different to their surroundings. Besides detection, mapping, and quantification of high temperature events based on TIR data are important to describe biophysical and hydrologic interactions of land surface processes. This includes processes across land surface patterns as well as between land surface and atmosphere. Künzer and Dech (2013) state that measurement of land surface temperatures (LST) related to individual landscapes and their biophysical components and secondly the relations of LST with energy fluxes are fundamental reasons why TIR data contribute to an improved understanding of and surface processes. In this paper the main scientific background for thermal remote sensing will be presented as well as examples of the thermal infrared data of DLR’s FireBird mission and their potential use
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