CO₂ emissions from the 2010 Russian wildfires using GOSAT data

In the summer of 2010, more than 6 hundred wildfires broke out in western Russia because of an unprecedented intense heat wave that resulted from strong atmospheric blocking. The present study evaluated the CO₂ emissions using GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite) data from July 23 to August 18, 2010 for western Russia. The results demonstrated that the GOSAT CAI (Cloud and Aerosol Imager) was well-suited for the identification of smoke plumes and that the GOSAT FTS (Fourier-Transform Spectrometer) TIR (Thermal InfraRed) could be used to calculate the height of the plumes at approximately 800 hPa (1.58 km). Using GOSAT data, we estimated that the 2010 fires in western Russia emitted 255.76 Tg CO₂. We also calculated the CO₂ emissions by employing the Biomass Burning Model (BBM) for the same study site and obtained a similar result of 261.82–302.48 Tg CO₂. The present study proposes a new method for the evaluation of CO₂ emissions from a wildfire using remote sensing data, which could be used to improve the knowledge of the burning of biomass at a regional or a continental scale, to reduce the uncertainties in modeling greenhouse gases emissions, and to further understand how wildfires impact the atmospheric carbon cycle and global warming. - Graphical abstract: 3-day CO₂ emissions from Russian forest fires in 2010. 23–25 means the sum of values on July 23, 24 and 25. - Highlights: • Calculated CO₂ emissions using GOSAT data from Russia wildfire for the first time. • Proposed a new method to estimate CO₂ emissions. • Examined the smoke plume elevation of former researches. • Expanded the applicable field of GOSAT data.