The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument aboard Terra acquires imagery at 275-m resolution at nine angles ranging from 0° to 70° off-nadir. This multi-angle capability facilitates the stereoscopic retrieval of smoke heights associated with near-source plumes. A new visualization and analysis program called MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) takes advantage of wind-direction information inherent in smoke plumes from active fires to determine plume heights and wind speeds at higher resolution and with greater accuracy than provided by the standard, operational MISR product. Among the software tool's many features are several designed for in-depth study of plumes, including animations of the nine MISR camera images that provide a visual 3-D perspective, and interactive digitization of plumes in order to automatically retrieve heights and winds. Aerosol properties from MISR, and fire power based on infrared brightness temperatures from MODIS (also on Terra) are archived along with the retrieved height and wind data. MINX retrievals have sufficient spatial detail to provide valuable input to studies of plume dynamics as well as large-scale climatological studies. Current efforts are focusing on fires in North America, but application to other areas of the world is also envisioned. Case study examples will be presented to illustrate MINX capabilities.

Date Published: 27 August 2008
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 7089, Remote Sensing of Fire: Science and Application, 708909 (27 August 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.795087

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7089:
Remote Sensing of Fire: Science and Application
Wei Min Hao, Editor(s)