Sentinel 5-P TROPOMI Sensor Analysis for CO Temporal and Spatial Dynamics during Fire: Case Study Bohemian Switzerland National Park

Abstract

As a consequence of climate change, forest fires are increasingly threatening Europe’s forest ecosystems, including regions where such events have historically been rare, such as Central and Northern Europe. Remote sensing technologies now offer innovative methods for analyzing and collecting data on fire activity, providing valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners. This study analyzes novel data from the Sentinel5-P TROPOMI satellite to monitor chemical emission during the largest fire in modern Czech, which occurred in the Czech Switzerland National Park. We evaluated the responses of individual data products using the changepoint package in R and a space-time cube with change-point analysis in ArcGIS Pro. The carbon monoxide (CO) data product provided significant differences in the emission plume during the fire compared to the unaffected areas. Our analysis identified an affected area of approximately 27,000 hectares, and the infestation lasted 6 days from the fire outbreak. Satellite observations indicated a 37.6% increase in CO emissions during the first three days of the fire, and an 18.5% increase in CO during the fourth to sixth days of the fire compared to background data. This mapping approach offers a valuable tool for post-disturbance assessment and strategic planning.