1 00:00:01,066 --> 00:00:05,300 The 2020 Western U.S. wildfire season was historic. 2 00:00:05,300 --> 00:00:08,933 Both for the record 59 thousand wildfires that formed, 3 00:00:08,933 --> 00:00:12,233 and the 10.1 million acres they scorched. 4 00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:14,766 But, right on its heels was 2021 5 00:00:14,766 --> 00:00:18,566 in which nearly 52,300 fires were recorded 6 00:00:18,566 --> 00:00:23,033 with more than 7.8 million acres burned through December 24th 7 00:00:23,033 --> 00:00:24,333 of that year. 8 00:00:24,333 --> 00:00:29,766 Since launching in 2016, NOAA's most advanced geostationary satellites 9 00:00:29,766 --> 00:00:32,066 are improving fire weather forecasts, 10 00:00:32,066 --> 00:00:36,033 wildfire detection, and fire hazards tracking in near real-time. 11 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:41,833 With lives and property at stake, timely, high-quality data is critical 12 00:00:41,833 --> 00:00:44,466 for firefighting efforts on the ground. 13 00:00:45,033 --> 00:00:48,933 NOAA's GOES-17, operating in the GOES West orbit, 14 00:00:48,966 --> 00:00:52,300 has shown its mettle, detecting and monitoring wildfires 15 00:00:52,300 --> 00:00:54,066 and the hazardous smoke they emit. 16 00:00:54,066 --> 00:00:56,566 Dan Lindsay: There's two instruments on the GOES series of satellites 17 00:00:56,566 --> 00:00:59,566 which are helpful for wildfire detection and monitoring. 18 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:02,600 The first is the Advanced Baseline Imager, or the ABI. 19 00:01:02,833 --> 00:01:05,833 Where we're able to detect hotspots from the thermal signatures 20 00:01:05,833 --> 00:01:08,633 from the fires. And we're also able to detect the smoke. 21 00:01:08,633 --> 00:01:12,200 And track the smoke with time in order to issue notifications 22 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:13,300 and warnings to the public. 23 00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:17,233 The second instrument is called the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, or the GLM. 24 00:01:17,366 --> 00:01:20,366 The GLM is important because oftentimes lightning 25 00:01:20,366 --> 00:01:22,866 is the cause of the start of wildfires. 26 00:01:22,866 --> 00:01:26,766 And so, forecasters can monitor the GLM to see where lightning has occurred. 27 00:01:26,766 --> 00:01:30,133 To decide whether or not they think some lightning may have started a fire. 28 00:01:30,466 --> 00:01:36,533 Narrator: But a new satellite called GOES-T is poised to replace GOES-17 in the GOES West position. 29 00:01:36,533 --> 00:01:40,900 Once is it reaches orbit, GOES-T will be renamed GOES-18 30 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,233 and it will provide the same sophisticated technology 31 00:01:44,233 --> 00:01:48,066 to track wildfires in the Western U.S., as well as detect lightning 32 00:01:48,066 --> 00:01:50,866 that can ignite a wildfire in parched vegetation. 33 00:01:51,333 --> 00:01:54,333 Heath Hockenberry: This current capability of GOES 34 00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:56,833 is the fact that we can do rapid scans, 35 00:01:56,833 --> 00:01:59,533 higher resolution with higher sensitivity. 36 00:01:59,533 --> 00:02:02,700 And include things for the first time like lightning mapper, 37 00:02:02,733 --> 00:02:04,933 and the ABI instruments. 38 00:02:05,266 --> 00:02:10,566 I don't think we could imagine not having GOES capability. We absolutely need it. 39 00:02:12,100 --> 00:02:19,033 Narrator: The National Interagency Fire Center is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. 40 00:02:19,100 --> 00:02:21,166 Sean Triplett: GOES in an eye in the sky. 41 00:02:21,233 --> 00:02:25,300 It's giving us a hemispheric perspective with GOES-16 and 17. 42 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:27,633 Without having those two satellites up there, 43 00:02:27,633 --> 00:02:31,733 constantly staring, constantly monitoring, constantly providing us with information 44 00:02:31,733 --> 00:02:33,600 we really have a - just a big gap. 45 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,733 We would lose a lot of our capabilities to understand the environment. 46 00:02:36,733 --> 00:02:39,566 To see the interaction of the fires with the atmosphere. 47 00:02:39,566 --> 00:02:42,566 And see how the atmosphere is impacting the behaviour of the fires. 48 00:02:42,666 --> 00:02:46,200 With GOES being able to look at the United States every five to ten minutes, 49 00:02:46,233 --> 00:02:47,700 We're getting a much more 50 00:02:47,700 --> 00:02:50,700 real-time appreciation for how fires are behaving. 51 00:02:51,266 --> 00:02:55,100 Because of the ability of the GOES satellites to detect the heat from the fires. 52 00:02:56,933 --> 00:03:02,166 Narrator: For more information about the launch of NOAA's GOES-T satellite, please visit the link (www.nesdis.noaa.gov). 53 00:03:02,766 --> 00:03:04,966 NOAA Satellite and Information Service Logo 54 00:03:05,033 --> 00:03:07,800 NASA Meatball 55 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,800 GOES-T Logo Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series