MODIS Images Burn Scar

The Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor repeats its coverage cycle every 16 days. Thus it was not possible to acquire a second ETM+ scene during the course of the fire. The Terra sensor, however, collects data more frequently. To aid the DEM in its analysis of the fire extent, 250 meter pixel Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data were downloaded from the EOS Gateway. The first signs of the growing fire extent are visible in MODIS imagery collected May 6.

The graphics above demonstrate MODIS capabilities. The time series centered on the fire area feature two channel combinations. Channels 1, 4 and 3 simulate true color while Channels 2, 4 and 3 resemble a color infrared composite. The left images predate the fire. Smoke plumes and a small cumulus cloud top can be seen in the center images. The final burn extent is discernable on the right, and corresponds to the scar imaged in greater detail two days later by the ETM+ sensor.

Each MODIS swath covers a wide extent. The regional overviews of the area surrounding the fire include only a small detail of the whole scene. In this image pair dating from May 6 and May 18 respectively, irrigated farmland (bright red) can be seen in the top center, west of Fort Stockton. The knob of the Cochran Mountains appears at lower left. It is also possible to see how the fire in the Glass Mountains consumed an area of dense forest vegetation. At 250 meter and 500 meter resolution, it is possible to estimate the approximate area of the burn scar.