ASSESSING FIRE EMISSIONS FROM TROPICAL SAVANNA AND FORESTS OF CENTRALBRAZIL

Wildfires in tropical forest and savanna are a strong source of trace gas and particulate emissions to the atmosphere, but estimates of the continental-scale impacts are limited by large uncertainties in the ra tes of fire occurrence and biomass combustion. Satellite-based remote sensing offers promise for characterizing fire physical properties and impacts on the environment, but currently available sensors saturate over high-radiance targets and provide only indications of regions and times at which fires are extensive and their areal rate of growth as recorded in ash layers. Here we describe an approach combining satelli te- and aircraft-based remote sensing with in situ measurements of smo ke to estimate emissions from central Brazil. These estimates will imp rove global accounting of radiation-absorbing gases and particulates t hat may be contributing to climate change and will provide strategic d ata for fire management.