Satellite Imagery of 1991 Kuwait Oil Fires from DMSP and NOAA

DMSP and NOAA satellite imagery captured the Kuwait oil fires during and after the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Approximately 1000 images are available from the Kuwait Data Archive, collected by instruments including the OLS, SSM/I, and AVHRR. The dataset was compiled by SCIOPS and features data from 1991.

Use Cases

• Analyze smoke plume dispersion and albedo values from visible spectrum data.
• Track fire thermal signatures using brightness temperatures from infrared and microwave instruments.
• Compare spatial resolution and coverage between 1-km LAC and 4-km GAC data from the AVHRR instrument.
• Study the environmental impact timeline by correlating imagery dates with fire events from February 1991 onward.

Strengths

• Approximately 1000 satellite images available for analysis.
• Data collected by multiple satellite platforms (DMSP F8, F9, F10 and NOAA-9, -10, -11, -12) and instruments (OLS, SSM/I, AVHRR).
• Includes both visible (albedo) and infrared/microwave (brightness temperature) data representations.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to the 1991 event, with no ongoing updates.
• Sample data and specific row/column counts for digital data are unknown.
• Primary access requires an X-windows environment for the online visual catalog, which may be obsolete.

Provenance

Source

Kuwait Data Archive (KuDA), hosted by UCAR/ATD, with data from DoD Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and NOAA Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES).

Collection Method

Satellite imagery gathered by the Operational Linescan System (OLS), Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instruments.

Time Range

1991, during and after the Persian Gulf War.

Freshness

Data is from 1991, with a last updated timestamp of 1991-12-31.

Geography

Persian Gulf region, focusing on Kuwait.