Forest Fires in Mongolia
Forest Fires in Mongolia
10 May 2012
This image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite, shows fires burning in the East of the Lake Khövsgöl of Mongolia on 10 May 2011. Source: NASA satellite image repository (selected and interpreted by GFMC).
Grassland, steppe and forest fires burning in Zabaikalskaya krai (Chitinskaya Oblast) close to the border of Amurskaya Oblast, the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia. The smoke is drifting away from Mongolia. Source: Satellite image generated by the MODIS sensor on NASA’s Terra satellite on 8 May 2012. Click on this image for a closer view of the fires.
On 09 May 2012 the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia released the following daily fire situation report (Source: NEMA):
Information on Forest Fires in Mongolia (Status: Morning 09 May 2012):
- A total of 16 forest and steppe fires are burning during last 24 hours (08-09 May 2012), including 7 large fires
- 3 firefighters dead, 2 injured, 1 home and over 60 wintering place of herders (including fences and barns) were burnt in Khövsgol province
- For suppression of fires 227 firefighters, with support of 1031 local people. A total of 1258 people, 105 firefighting vehicles and technics were involved
- The most difficult situation develops in the forests of the eastern Khövsgöl and Dornod province
- Selenge province – 3
- Khövsgöl province – 7
- Dornod province – 1
- Tuv province- 2
- Fires in Bulgan, Selenge and Arkhangai provinces are contained
- Since March 2012, a total of 115 fires are recorded, in which a total territory of 61,837 ha, including 1,336 ha of steppe, and 963 ha of forests have been affected
GFMC Letter of Condolonces to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of Mongolia
Forest and steppe fire detected from satellite image
Selected fire occurrence maps, satellite images and a forest fire occurance map are prepared daily or regularly by the Information and Computer Center of Mongolia (http://www.icc.mn). The website of the ICC contains Satellites Maps of Mongolia using MODIS, NOAA, FY instruments data. Detailed maps are produced on the base of satellite data (Terra and Aqua MODIS products). It shows the Province name, Sum name and fire locations (by latitude and longitude).
Map of fires burning in Mongolia (product of icc.mn), 10 May 2012, 14:20
Satellite name: (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite
Eurasian Experimental Fire Weather Information System
The system has been developed by forest fire researchers from Canada, Russia and Germany has been 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/eurasia.htm
Latest Experimental Fire Weather Index (FWI) map for Eurasia (09 May 2012)
Note: The components of the Fire Weather Index and the meteorological data below are updated daily at ca. 15:00 GMT/UTC by the Northern Forestry Centre, Canada.
In the list below the latest maps (including the FWI) can be downloaded. These maps will provide the information at the date of clicking on the link.
| Fire Weather Index Components | Meteorological Data |
| Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC) | Precipitation |
| Duff Moisture Code (DMC) | Relative humidity |
| Drought Code (DC) | Temperature |
| Initial Spread Index (ISI) | Wind direction |
| Buildup Index (BUI) | Wind speed |
| Fire Weather Index (FWI) |
Wildland Fire related news from the Media: Note: The hyperlinks on the left side of each news are password-protected (User ID and password to enter the GFMC database are available for partners of GFMC). The links on the right side (in brackets) are leading to the original news source; sometimes these news are expiring rather swiftly – a reason for the establishment of the internal GFMC database):
- Three firefighters killed and two badly injured in Mongolia (published by www.news.mn, 09 May 2012)
- Mongolian State Emergency Commission urges prevention and suppression of forest and steppe fires (published by www.shuud.mn, 19 April 2012)
Media news in Mongolian
- Дорнод аймагт түймэр гарчээ (published by www.olloo.mn, 10 May 2012)
- Түлэгдсэн гал сөнөөгчдийг ГССҮТ-д авчирчээ (published by www.news.mn, 09 May 2012)
- Дорнод аймагт түймэр гарчээ (published by www.inspection.gov.mn, 09 May 2012)
- Овооноос мөнгө авах гэсэн хүүхдүүд түймэр тавьжээ (published by www.news.mn, 08 May 2012
Background on Wildland Fires in Mongolia
- Regional Central Asia Wildland Fire Network
- First International Central Asian Wildland Fire Joint Conference and Consultation
- The Forest Fire Situation in Mongolia (IFFN No. 36, 2007)
- Fire Situation in Mongolia (IFFN No. 26, 2002)
- Forest Fires in Northern Mongolian Mountains (IFFN No. 27, 2002)
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).
