GFMC: Forest Fires in the Russian Federation

Forest Fires Emergency in the Russian Federation

21 May 2003


The Situation in the south of the Russian Federation has escalated in the last two weeks. Satellite images show hundreds of wildfires burning out of control. Severe smoke pollution is affecting Mongolia, eastern China and is stretching to the Pacific Ocean. See also updates of the previous days at:
https://gfmc.online/current/globalfire.htm

Latest Satellite Images:

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

Satellite Terra
19 May 2003, 0340 AM
Pixel size 1km
Bands 7-2-1 Satellite Terra
19 May 2003, 0345 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Aqua
19 May 2003, 0525 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Aqua
19 May 2003, 0525 AM
Pixel size 500m
Bands 7-2-1

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

click to enlarge (360 KB)

Satellite Terra
20 May 2003, 0425 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Terra
20 May 2003, 0425 AM
Pixel size 500m
Bands 7-2-1 Satellite Terra
21 May 2003, 0330 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Terra
21 May 2003, 0330 AM
Pixel size 500mBands
 7-2-1

Fires in south eastern Russia
In south eastern Russia (near chinese border), scores of fires are burning. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Auqa and Terra satellite shows active fires marked with red dots. The fires are producing rivers of smoke which extend far to the south into China and have spread eastward over the Pacific Ocean.  
Source: MODIS

 

Avialesookhrana from the National Forest Fire Centre of Russia provides up-to-date NOAA images for the whole of the Russian Federation and neighbour territories. The Space Monitoring Information Support Laboratory provides extensive links to sites with satellite imagery for the Russian Federation, meteorological information as well as fire related images are accessible.

The NOAA AVHRR satellite image composite shows fire activities in the Russian Federation.

click to enlarge (360 KB)

Latest NOAA 12&14 AVHRR composite
The red squares indicate regions of active fires. For details the GFMC readers are encouraged to use the hyperlinks provided by Avialesookhrana, the Aerial Forest Fire Protection Service of the Federal Forest service of Russia. 
(Source: Avialesookhrana cloudiness maps)

 

Latest fire situation report by the Aerial Forest Fire Protection Service of Russia (Avialesookhrana), 19  May 2003

For the last days fire activities retain still very severe in Chita and Buriatia region. It are increasing in Amur, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk regions. Some precipitations in Central European part of Russia on last weekend decrease fire danger there.
According to the situation report of the Ministry of Natural Resources of 18 May 2003 a total of 667 fires affected 23,729 ha forested and 4,610 ha non-forested areas. 192 fires of them were reported as new fires. In addition 61 fires occurred that were put out the same day when they started.
Since the beginning of the 2003 fire season a total of 9,571 fires affected 448,356 ha forested and 163,290 ha non-forested land under the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources. (For comparison: Last year up to this date 8,668 fires had burnt 161,758 ha forested and 100,362 ha non-forested lands.)

Most fires have been reported in the following regions:

  • Chita region – 164 fires

  • Iakutia-17

  • Buriatia – 63

  • Irkutsk – 181

  • Amur – 33

  • Altay-20

  • Krasnoiarsk-36 (with Tuva and Khakassia)

  • Vologda-43

  • Karelia-13

  • Large fires were reported in:

  • Amur-3 fires, the biggest is 430 ha.

  • Chita region – 114 fires, the biggest is 11,300 ha. 50 of them-are contained. 9 large fires were put out for last day.

  • Buriatia 16 fires, the biggest is 850 ha.

  • Iakutia-6, the biggest is-2,500 ha. All of them are contained.

  • Altay 6 fires, the biggest is 1,000 ha. 

  • Irkutsk -17 fires, the biggest is 260 ha.

Through all of Russia 8,236 people, 92 aircraft, 1,327 bulldozers, tractors and engines have been involved in fire fighting.
Source:
Aerial Forest Fire Protection Service of Russia (Avialesookhrana)

 

Eurasian Experimental Fire Weather Information System
The system has been developed by forest fire researchers from Canada, Russia and Germany is displayed on this website starting 18 July 2001. Complete information and a set of daily fire weather and fire behaviour potential maps covering Eurasia (the Baltic Region, Eastern Europe, countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Mongolia) can be accessed at:
https://gfmc.online/fwf/eurasia1.htm

Example of the Eurasian Experimental Fire Weather Information System:
Latest map of the Experimental Fire Weather Index (FWI) for Russia and neighbouring countries

Daily Fire Occurrence and Fire Danger Maps of the Fire Laboratory of the Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk
Selected fire occurrence maps, satellite images and a forest fire danger map are prepared daily by the Russian GFMC correspondent Dr. Anatoly Sukhinin, Fire Laboratory of the Sukachev Institute of Forest, Krasnoyarsk, in collaboration with the Emergency Situation Monitoring and Forecasting Agency, Krasnoyarsk branch. The maps are produced on the base of satellite data (classification by the NOAA AVHRR). They show the fire locations (by latitude and longitude) and the area affected by fire (red signature, size in ha). The red arrow at each fire location points to the nearest populated place. The terms Oblast or Kray used in the maps are designations of administrative regions. A map showing the boundaries of administrative regions and a legend is included below.

 

ru_fire_legend.gif (937 Byte)

click to enlarge (29 KB)

Map legend

Administrative boundaries

 

Overview map showing large fire locations detected over the last 10 days

click here to enlarge (561 KB)

Overview

Latest maps maps showing fire activities of 20 May 2003 (selection)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

Buryatiya Republic Buryatiya Republic Buryatiya Republic

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

Buryatiya Republic Buryatiya Republic Chitinskaya Oblast

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

click to enlarge (40-50 KB)

Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast

For more details on fire in the Russian Federation:

 

Bibliography on fire in ecosystems of boreal Eurasia:
One of the results of the first international fire science conference in the Russian Federation (1993) was the publication of a monograph on fire in boreal Eurasia, including some selected contributions on boreal North America. The literature cited in the monograph contains numerous publications which in many cases are not easily accessible. To facilitate literature search the bibliographical sources are provided by topic (chapter).
Goldammer, J.G. and V.V.Furyaev. 1996. Fire in Ecosystems of Boreal Eurasia. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 390 p.


Top
Back

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
WP-Backgrounds Lite by InoPlugs Web Design and Juwelier Schönmann 1010 Wien