False Color LST Image

Environmental Monitoring Using ECOSTRESS Data: Case Studies of the 2021 Dixie Fire in California and the Spongy Moth Defoliation in Shenandoah, Virginia

Christian Dadzie, Clara Kleindorfer 

Abstract

This study investigates land surface temperature changes before the 2021 Dixie Fire in Northern California using ECOSTRESS thermal infrared data. By analyzing pre-fire land surface temperature (LST) patterns, the project aims to assess ECOSTRESS’s capability for assessing wildfire locations. The workflow includes data acquisition, preprocessing, quality screening, spatial analysis, and interpretation of temporal trends. Results do not demonstrate a significant pre-fire increase in daytime LST but highlight the utility of ECOSTRESS for post-fire monitoring and ecological recovery studies. Future work will incorporate additional variables like vegetation indices and nighttime temperature trends to build a more comprehensive picture. While the initial phase of the project explored wildfire impacts using ECOSTRESS LST data, data limitations led us to refocus on a second case: vegetation stress from spongy moth defoliation in Shenandoah National Park. This shift allowed for a year-on-year and monthly analysis, using NDVI data to detect subtle changes in forest health.

Fig 1: JULY 09 LST (5 counties mosaicked), 13:27-13:28

Fig 1: JULY 09 LST (5 counties mosaicked), 13:27-13:28

JUNE 18 LST (5 counties mosaicked), 15:26-15:27

Fig 1: JUNE 18 LST (5 counties mosaicked), 15:26-15:27

False Color LST Image, orange and yellow in south-west quadrant and blue green in the rest

Fig 2: July 09 False Color LST Image, Blue/ Green/ Red Yellow

False Color LST Image

Fig 2: June 18 False Color LST Image, Blue/ Green/ Red Yellow

black and white topographical map of study area

Fig 3: Study area with Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama, and Lassen county boundaries

black and white topographical map of study area with red lines outlining counties boundaries

Fig 4: Study area with Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Tehama, and Lassen county boundaries

black and white topographical map of study area with purple lines illustrating the power lines

Fig 3: Study area with power lines and Dixie Fire Perimeter

black and white topographical map of study area with purple lines illustrating the power lines

Fig 4: Study area with power lines and Dixie Fire Perimeter

black and white topographical map of study area

Fig 5: LST Change Detection image masked to five counties of Dixie Fire between June 18 and July 09 of 2021

Graph

Fig 6: Graph of band statistics for LST change between June 18 and July 09

graph of NDVI june layer

Fig 7: Comparison of June 2023 and June 2024 NDVI

Line graph of monthly mean NDVI : 2023 vs 2024. 2023 is a blue line starting at March, going up from 0.4 to 0.8 in May, plateauing with a slight downward curve until October and then going back down to under 0.6 in November and slight increase in December. Orange line is 2024, hovering around 0.4 from January until May, jumping to 0.8 in June, with a gradual decrease to 0.4 in November and slight increase in December.

Fig 9: Monthly NDVI Trends for 2023 and 2024

Red, white, and grey image of Shenandoah National Park NDVI difference images: June 2023 vs 2024

Fig 8: NDVI Difference Image

Black and white raw images of individual NDVI layers of 2024 with July to May as the darkest and August the lightest

Fig 11: 2024 monthly NDVI layers

Map of Shenandoah National Park Proposed Spongy Moth Suppression Areas for May 2024

Fig 12: Proposed aerial suppression zones, Shenandoah National Park

Black and white raw images of individual NDVI layers over 2023 with February, April, and December as the darkest and July, August, and September the lightest

Fig 10: 2023 monthly NDVI layers