7th Workshop on Forest Fire Management - EARSeL, European ...

Abstract: This study shows the correlation between large fire emissions and
trace gases estimated by atmospheric sensors. The zone analysed is the
Iberian Peninsula, Spain and Portugal, during the summer season.
Concerning atmospheric sensors, data from MOPITT (Measurements of
Pollution in the Troposphere) onboard Terra satellite, are analysed in order
to measure CO emissions by fires. The CO is a very important trace gas produced
by forest fire emissions and its role in the cycle of atmospheric carbon
is very relevant. This study is focused on two main topics: the assessment
of dispersion of CO emissions caused by large fires and the study of
fires series and its CO emissions.
1 - Introduction
ANALYSIS OF CO EMISSIONS, BY FOREST FIRES,
IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
A. Calle, J-L. Casanova, J. Sanz & P. Salvador
Remote Sensing Laboratory of University of Valladolid (LATUV),
Valladolid, Spain
abel@latuv.uva.es
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a trace gas located in the atmosphere mostly as
the result of anthropogenic activities. CO plays a significant role in the carbon
cycle and it substantially affects the budgets of OH radicals and Ozone
(O 3 ) that are present in the atmosphere. The anthropogenic activities linked
to CO release into the atmosphere can be divided into two well-defined
groups: on the one hand, urban pollutant emissions from vehicles and other
industrial processes; on the other, from fires and global biomass burning
emissions. The MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere),
onboard the Terra spacecraft, has proved to be the most operative sensor
for the continuous estimation of CO [1], [2]. On the other hand, scientists
from the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), financed by
NASA, have spread data and results concerning the global distribution of
CO based on MOPITT measurements (http://www.acd.ucar.edu/) which have
revealed both the seasonal dynamics of CO throughout the planet and direct
correlations between the increase in the CO total column measured by
MOPITT and large fires. Concerning the validation of MOPITT data, see [3].
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