Remote sensing of smoke plumes with moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer reflectance measurements

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument is considered a very versatile tool in studying environmental changes. The multi-spectral sensor owns a high revisit period, a large scanning area, plus a handful of other advantages. The main purpose of this study is to employ reflectance data retrieved by the MODIS sensor in detecting smoke plumes, estimating their respective intensity and retrieving the AOD (Aerosol Optical Depth). Specifically, in the detection of the smoke plumes, biomass burning cases are studied in delineating the reflective characteristics. Following the detection, the Deep-Blue Aerosol Index (DAI) is utilized to evaluate the intensity. Relevant AOD information is retrieved by analyzing the relationship between the DAI and AOD. Results show a high correlation between the satellite-retrieved AOD and Sun Photometer-observed AOD data, thus demonstrating the feasibility in obtaining the aerosol distribution over highly reflective areas. As the proposed approach in this study is capable of accurately portraying the spatial distribution and intensity of smoke plumes, it can be effectively used in monitoring biomass burning hazards.