Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia
A neglected dimension of the fire regime concept is fire patchiness. Habitat mosaics that emerge from the grain of burned and unburned patches (pyrodiversity) are critical for the persistence of a diverse range of plant and animal species. This issue is of particular importance in frequently burned...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Fire |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/5/160 |
| _version_ | 1797407335750041600 |
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| author | Grant J. Williamson Todd M. Ellis David M. J. S. Bowman |
| author_facet | Grant J. Williamson Todd M. Ellis David M. J. S. Bowman |
| author_sort | Grant J. Williamson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A neglected dimension of the fire regime concept is fire patchiness. Habitat mosaics that emerge from the grain of burned and unburned patches (pyrodiversity) are critical for the persistence of a diverse range of plant and animal species. This issue is of particular importance in frequently burned tropical <i>Eucalyptus</i> savannas, where coarse fire mosaics have been hypothesized to have caused the recent drastic population declines of small mammals. Satellites routinely used for fire mapping in these systems are unable to accurately map fine-grained fire mosaics, frustrating our ability to determine whether declines in biodiversity are associated with local pyrodiversity. To advance this problem, we have developed a novel method (we call ‘double-differenced dNBR’) that combines the infrequent (c. 16 days) detailed spatial resolution Landsat with daily coarse scale coverage of MODIS and VIIRS to map pyrodiversity in the savannas of Kakadu National Park. We used seasonal Landsat mosaics and differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) to define burned areas, with a modification to dNBR that subtracts long-term average dNBR to increase contrast. Our results show this approach is effective in mapping fine-scale fire mosaics in the homogenous lowland savannas, although inappropriate for nearby heterogenous landscapes. Comparison of this methods to other fire metrics (e.g., area burned, seasonality) based on Landsat and MODIS imagery suggest this method is likely accurate and better at quantifying fine-scale patchiness of fire, albeit it demands detailed field validation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:39:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9d870e2ca8245ff8ae11dabe9fa88a3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:39:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9d870e2ca8245ff8ae11dabe9fa88a32023-12-03T14:43:19ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552022-10-015516010.3390/fire5050160Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern AustraliaGrant J. Williamson0Todd M. Ellis1David M. J. S. Bowman2School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, AustraliaSchool of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, AustraliaSchool of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS 7001, AustraliaA neglected dimension of the fire regime concept is fire patchiness. Habitat mosaics that emerge from the grain of burned and unburned patches (pyrodiversity) are critical for the persistence of a diverse range of plant and animal species. This issue is of particular importance in frequently burned tropical <i>Eucalyptus</i> savannas, where coarse fire mosaics have been hypothesized to have caused the recent drastic population declines of small mammals. Satellites routinely used for fire mapping in these systems are unable to accurately map fine-grained fire mosaics, frustrating our ability to determine whether declines in biodiversity are associated with local pyrodiversity. To advance this problem, we have developed a novel method (we call ‘double-differenced dNBR’) that combines the infrequent (c. 16 days) detailed spatial resolution Landsat with daily coarse scale coverage of MODIS and VIIRS to map pyrodiversity in the savannas of Kakadu National Park. We used seasonal Landsat mosaics and differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR) to define burned areas, with a modification to dNBR that subtracts long-term average dNBR to increase contrast. Our results show this approach is effective in mapping fine-scale fire mosaics in the homogenous lowland savannas, although inappropriate for nearby heterogenous landscapes. Comparison of this methods to other fire metrics (e.g., area burned, seasonality) based on Landsat and MODIS imagery suggest this method is likely accurate and better at quantifying fine-scale patchiness of fire, albeit it demands detailed field validation.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/5/160fire managementfire regimepyrodiversitypyrogeographyremote sensingwildlife |
| spellingShingle | Grant J. Williamson Todd M. Ellis David M. J. S. Bowman Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia Fire fire management fire regime pyrodiversity pyrogeography remote sensing wildlife |
| title | Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia |
| title_full | Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia |
| title_fullStr | Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia |
| title_short | Double-Differenced dNBR: Combining MODIS and Landsat Imagery to Map Fine-Grained Fire MOSAICS in Lowland <i>Eucalyptus</i> Savanna in Kakadu National Park, Northern Australia |
| title_sort | double differenced dnbr combining modis and landsat imagery to map fine grained fire mosaics in lowland i eucalyptus i savanna in kakadu national park northern australia |
| topic | fire management fire regime pyrodiversity pyrogeography remote sensing wildlife |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/5/5/160 |
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