GFMC: Forest Fires in the Russian Federation

2003

Forest Fires Emergency in the Russian Federation

24 May 2003

GFMC analysis: According to the latest satellite-derived analysis the total area burned by 22 May 2003 in the Russian Federation is 13 million hectares (ha). For comparison: The total area burned of the whole fire season 2002 was 11.7 million ha (see references at bottom of this web page). The regions most affected are:

– Chitisnkaya Oblast 4.5 million ha

– Buryatiya Republic 2.3 million ha

– Amurskaya Ablast 2.6 million ha

Source: Sukachev Institute for Forest, Krasnoyarsk (A.Sukhinin), in cooperation with EMERKOM of Russia (Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations).

Fire danger map for 24 May 2003 for the Central Siberia.

Source: Sukachev Institute for Forest, Krasnoyarsk

Synoptic weather map for 24 May 2003 for the Russian Federation.

Source: Sukachev Institute for Forest, Krasnoyarsk

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:

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

Satellite Terra
22 May 2003, 0415 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Terra
22 May 2003, 0415 AM
Pixel size 1km
Bands 7-2-1 Satellite Terra
23 May 2003, 0320 AM
Pixel size 500m
True Color Satellite Terra
23 May 2003, 0320 AM
Pixel size 1km
Bands 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

Heat signatures (red), burn scars (dark green to charcoal), and smoke (light blue haze) are visible from fires burning in Russia in this MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) image from the Aqua satellite.

Source: OSEI

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.

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), 22 May 2003

For the last days fire activities retain still very severe in Chita region. It was scattered raining somewhere in Amur, Khabarovsk, Buriatia and Irkutsk region. And just a few one in the northen and Central portion of Chita region.
According to the situation report of the Ministry of Natural Resources of 22 May 2003 a total of 481 fires affected 24,160 ha forested and 4,206 ha non-forested areas. 100 fires of them were reported as new fires. In addition 70 fires occurred that were put out the same day when they started.
Since the beginning of the 2003 fire season a total of 10,566 fires affected 536,954 ha forested and 180,735 ha non-forested land under the responsibility of the Ministry of Natural Resources. (For comparison: Last year up to this date 9,851 fires had burnt 228,419 ha forested and 141,897 ha non-forested lands.)

Most fires have been reported in the following regions:

Chita region – 154 fires
Buriatia – 57
Irkutsk – 109
Amur 28
Khabarovsk-22
Altay-20
Krasnoiarsk-37 (with Tuva and Khakassia)
Vologda-13

Large fires were reported in:

Amur-7 fires, the biggest is 700 ha.
Chita region – 111 fires, the biggest is 13,600 ha. 45 of them-are contained. 21 large fires were put out for last day.
Buriatia 10 fires, the biggest is 800 ha.
Altay 3 fires, the biggest is 400 ha.
Irkutsk -25 fires, the biggest is 1,500 ha.

Through all of Russia 7,138 people, 83 aircraft, 1,130 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)

Map legend

Administrative boundaries

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

Overview

Latest maps maps showing fire activities of 23 May 2003 (selection)

Buryatiya Republic Buryatiya Republic Buryatiya Republic

Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast

Chitinskaya Oblast Chitinskaya Oblast AmurskayaOblast

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.

24. November 2017/by GFMCadmin