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Piper Navajo remote sensing aircraft
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Fire Science |
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Wildfire Monitoring and Prediction
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Fire
Imaging |
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Black Mountain Fire,
Missoula County, MT
17 August 2003
As viewed by the FireMapper Thermal-Imaging
Radiometer
Images were collected from the PSW Airborne
Sciences Aircraft and disseminated in part by satellite
communications in near-real time. FireMapper measures the
radiance of emitted thermal-infrared light, which readily
penetrates smoke. False-color images shown here depict
the apparent surface temperature (in Celsius) as estimated
from radiance and a simple black-body model. Warmer tones
represent recent or active combustion; areas of gray are
cooling ash or warm bare ground (see chart below). Low
temperatures of unburned forest and cool ground are shown
in green. Images have been geographically referenced. Vertical
exaggeration in 3-d views is 1.5 to one unless otherwise
noted.
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Location Map
Area of Black Mountain fire (courtesy of
www.geomac.gov). Active fires are labeled in white. |
Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image
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Fire Imagery
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The following color-coded images depict apparent ground surface temperatures
in Celsius. Roads, streams, and the text in the background are from
a 1:100,000 topographic map.
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Image 1:
Ground surface temperatures as viewed from above at 11.9
micrometers wavelength on 17 August 2003, from 21:17 to
21:32 UMT.
DISCLAIMER: This image is partially obscured by clouds.
The western perimeter could not be imaged at this time. |
Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image |
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Image 2:
Topographic view as seen from the east of Image 1.
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Click on the image above to view a larger JPEG image |
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Narrative
from the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT
SUNDAY AUGUST 18, 2003 - 0800 MDT. (Courtesy of www.nifc.gov.)
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BLACK MOUNTAIN
2, Southwestern Land Office, Montana Department of Natural
Resources &
Conservation. A Type 2 Incident Management Team (Dietrich)
is assigned. A Type 1 Incident
Management Team (Gelobter) has been ordered. This fire is in
mixed conifer, understory and
grass, nine miles west of Missoula, MT. Shifting winds gusting
over 50 miles per hour caused the
fire to blow out in the O’Brien Creek area and spot on
the south side. Uphill runs, crowning,
multiple tree torching, and spotting were observed. Residences
were evacuated in the O’Brien
Creek, Cedar Ridge/Lyon Gulch and Triple Creek areas. There
are 131 residences immediately
threatened. Evacuation warnings were issued for 199 additional
homes. Structure protection is in
place for 650 residences.
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FireMapper has
been developed through a Research Joint Venture with Space Instruments,
Inc., and support from the National Fire Plan, Forest Service International
Programs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Joint Fire Sciences Program, and the U.S. Agency
for International Development.
Disclaimer: Trade names, commercial products, and enterprises
are mentioned solely for information. No endorsement by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture is implied.
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