Satellites aid firefighters from 2,600 miles away
WASHINGTON D.C. (KGET) — Rising temperatures, declining snowpack and frequent droughts
are causing a significant increase in wildfire frequency and severity across the western United
States.
Climate change is transforming what was once a natural and seasonal occurrence into a
constant threat. Year after year, fires are filling western skies with smoke, converting live timber and understory vegetation to burn scars, impairing water supplies, disrupting economies, threatening lives and property, and altering the landscape for generations.
Amid these challenges, firefighters on the front lines are receiving invaluable assistance from
over 2,600 miles away. The Park Fire has ravaged more than 383,000 acres, with containment
only reaching 14%.
Monitoring its progress closely is Alexandra Rodriguez, a Satellite-GIS Analyst at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“Here we have the Park Fire in Northern California,” Rodriguez explained, pointing to a satellite
image. “You’re seeing this very dark gray color — that’s the smoke being produced by the
wildfires.”
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From her office in College Park, Maryland, Rodriguez uses satellite technology to monitor and
respond to emergencies in places like California.
“We draw out the plume to let our users know in which direction the plume is heading, so
anyone potentially affected can be informed,” Rodriguez said.
NOAA’s engagement with wildfire is comprehensive. As the nation’s leading weather and
climate science agency, NOAA provides critical outlooks, forecasts, and early warning products,
monitoring temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture across the nation. NOAA satellites spot
new ignitions with sophisticated instruments and track the growth of fires and movement of
smoke across the country. NOAA’s National Weather Service provides essential fire weather information to wildfire managers and communities—dispatching specially trained meteorologists to incident command centers for real-time, site-specific forecasts.
Meanwhile, NOAA scientists are developing new tools, technologies, and integrated systems to
improve the accuracy of outlooks and forecasts, assist local decision support, and communicate
vital public safety information faster and farther.
“Whenever we see a hot spot or a wildfire, we plot them in our HMS system. Every five minutes,
we reload them and update throughout the day,” Rodriguez said.
NOAA’s advanced satellite imagery not only detects wildfires but also tracks their development
in real-time. Orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth, these satellites can detect a fire as small as one
acre.
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