Enhancement of Nighttime Fire Detection and Combustion Efficiency Characterization Using Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20 VIIRS Instruments

We present the second-generation FIre Light Detec- VIIRS active fire 375-m I-band algorithm with the added benefit tion Algorithm (FILDA-2), which includes advances in fire of providing daily global pixel-level characterizations of MCE detection and retrievals of radiative power (FRP), fire visible for nighttime surface fires. The MCE derived by FILDA-2 is energy fraction (VEF), and fire modified combustion efficiency in good agreement with limited ground-based observations near (MCE) at nighttime from the holistic use of multiple-spectral the fires. Additionally, FILDA-2 reduces angular dependence in radiances measured by the visible infrared imaging radiometer FRP estimates and significantly reduces the “bow-tie” (doublesuite (VIIRS) aboard Suomi-NPP (VNP) and National Oceanic counting) effect in fire detection compared with the AF-I product. and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-20/joint polar satellite The cross-validation of FILDA-2 products from VNP and VJ1 system (JPSS)-1 (VJ1) satellites. Key enhancements include: 1) a retrievals confirms good consistency in FRP and MCE retrievals new fast algorithm that maps VIIRS day/night band (DNB) globally. FILDA-2 is being implemented by the National Aeroradiances to the pixel footprints of VIIRS moderate (M) and nautics and Space Administration (NASA) to generate a new imagery (I) bands; 2) identification of potential fire pixels through VIIRS data product for fire monitoring, chemical-speciated fire the use of the DNB anomalies and I-band thermal anomalies; emission estimates, and fire line characterization. 3) dynamic thresholds for contextual testing of fire pixels; and 4) pixel-specific estimates of FRP, VEF, and MCE. The global Index Terms— Day-night band (DNB), fire detection, fire benchmark test demonstrates that FILDA-2 can detect approx- radiative power (FRP), gas flaring, modify combustion effiimately 25%–30% smaller and cooler fires than the operational ciency (MCE), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-20, Suomi-NPP, visible energy fraction (VEF),