Off-campus Michigan Tech users: To download campus access theses or dissertations, please use the following button to log in with your Michigan Tech ID and password: log in to proxy server
Non-Michigan Tech users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this thesis or dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Campus Access Master's Report
Degree Name
Master of Science in Geophysics (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences
Advisor 1
Thomas Oommen
Committee Member 1
Luke J. Bowman
Committee Member 2
John S. Gierke
Abstract
Wildfires pose a constant threat to the western United States causing economic, environmental, and human losses. Their severity and impacts can be lessened when they are monitored timely and efficiently, providing opportunities for early warning and strategic responses. Optical imagery is a common method of mapping wildfires but is hindered by cloud cover. Radar, on the other hand, passes through clouds. Therefore, Sentinel-1s radar imagery will be tested in cloudy settings and compared to optical imagery for characterizing active wildfires and post-fire burn areas. Radar uses long microwaves, which allow penetration of cloud cover, collecting data regardless of weather and time of day. Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite images are compared to understand if radar can detect wildfires in a time-series analysis and if different backscatter values correspond to different burn severity levels. After using different mathematical indices and polarizations, Sentinel-1 successfully detected the fire extents and the backscatter changes of a wildfire. The positive results from the area calculation demonstrate that radar can be a reliable and efficient tool for mapping wildfires.
Recommended Citation
O'Connor, Kassidy, "USING SENTINEL-1 SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR TO DETECT BURN AREA AND BURN SEVERITY IN COASTAL AREAS, CALIFORNIA", Campus Access Master's Report, Michigan Technological University, 2022.