INTEGRATION OF SENTINEL-1 AND SENTINEL-2 IMAGES FOR DETECTING BURNED VEGETATION IN CALIFORNIA

The Soberanes fire, California, which ignited on July 22, 2016, due to an illegal campfire, affected more than 400 square kilometres, becoming one of the most extended wildfires in the region. The fire lasted until October 2016 and resulted in extreme ecological and economic impact, with significant damage to forested areas and privately owned land. Dual-pol Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (S-1), multispectral Sentinel-2 MSI (Multispectral Instrument) (S-2) and, Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) (L8 OLI) imagery covering the pre- to post-fire period, were downloaded and processed. Backscattering coefficients (VV and VH polarizations) were derived from S-1 SAR data after radiometric calibration. Both backscattering coefficients and surface reflectance variations over the burned area have been analyzed. In particular, a multitemporal analysis of optical and SAR imagery was carried out, for investigating the sensitivity to burned conditions within the Soberanes fire perimeters.