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Film, Video Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires

Event video

Transcript: TEXT

About this Item

Title

  • Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires

Summary

  • Satellites are making it possible to observe, investigate and understand wildfires in ways that are impossible from the ground. What are they showing us? In an illustrated presentation at the Library of Congress, a NASA scientist explains the profound effect of fires on Earth's natural systems and methods used to better manage these fires. Compton J. Tucker discussed "Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires" in a program sponsored by the Science, Technology and Business Division. According to Tucker, wildfires play a central role in Earth's ecosystems. They affect plant and animal habitat, air and water quality, greenhouse gas emissions and human lives. Globally, fires may contribute to climate change, emitting both greenhouse gases and smoke particles into the atmosphere. These emissions have played a role in the 0.5 degree Celsius increase in Earth's average surface temperature over the past 100 years. By using digital imagery collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite, scientists at Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of Maryland have been mapping wildfire activity for the entire surface of the planet every day since February 2000. Never before have scientists had the opportunity to map fires across the entire Earth with such detail, accuracy and frequency. Satellite imagery enables scientists to assess risks and reduce hazards; support active fire fighting; study and monitor fire effects; quantify the flux of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from biomass burning; restore fire-dependent ecosystems; and provide information for management policies and practices.

Names

  • Library of Congress
  • Library of Congress. Science, Technology, and Business Division, sponsoring body

Created / Published

  • Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 2007-10-17.

Headings

  • -  Education
  • -  Science, Technology
  • -  Environment, Conservation
  • -  Technology, Industry

Notes

  • -  Classification: Education.
  • -  Classification: General Works.
  • -  Classification: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation.
  • -  Classification: Science.
  • -  Classification: Technology.
  • -  Compton Tucker.
  • -  Recorded on 2007-10-17.
  • -  Researchers.
  • -  Teachers.

Medium

  • 1 online resource

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021687888

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Library Of Congress, and Technology Library Of Congress. Science. Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -10-17, 2007. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687888/.

APA citation style:

Library Of Congress & Library Of Congress. Science, T. (2007) Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -10-17. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687888/.

MLA citation style:

Library Of Congress, and Technology Library Of Congress. Science. Observing, Fighting and Mitigating Damage from Wildfires. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -10-17, 2007. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021687888/>.