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A deadly wildfire continues to rage in parts of Los Angeles, with scientists monitoring the region engulfed in flames and the spread of smoke.
On Tuesday morning, January 7, a forest fire started in Palisade, which spread to 1214 hectares in just one day. Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes and businesses. Local authorities say that the threat remains due to gusts of wind, and therefore additional orders may be issued soon, writes Space.
The fire, believed to have been fueled by strong winds, engulfed the Pacific and Palisade neighborhoods in west Los Angeles. Local authorities also say the deadly fire is still raging in parts of Los Angeles in Southern California, and scientists are monitoring the spread of fire and smoke using satellites from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Important information about the spread of fires is provided to community leaders, firefighters and forecasters from satellites equipped with instruments capable of continuously photographing and tracking the fire and the resulting smoke plumes.
To do this, NOAA researchers use two types of satellites at their disposal. Both of them work in tandem, which makes it possible to monitor the progress of a forest fire:
- geostationary operational environmental satellite (GOES);
- joint polar satellite system (JPSS).
Researchers note that both satellites are equipped with next-generation instruments for observing our planet, but there is a difference. While JPSS orbits the Earth in a polar, non-geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 824 kilometers above us, the GOES satellites orbit the same point on Earth but at an altitude of 35 kilometers.
As a result, scientists use different filters and spectral ranges on instruments on board both satellites, allowing them to create powerful images that show the growth and movement of fire and smoke in near real time.
Using time-lapse photography, researchers were able to capture the location of the fire and how it grew in size and intensity over time. Scientists were also able to track where the winds were pushing the smoke plume — its movement was captured on video.
