1. Bushfire CRC Grassland Curing Project Ian Grant Bureau of Meteorology

2. Grassland Curing What: The seasonal dying and drying of grassland Why: - An input to fire danger rating systems - An input to fire behaviour models Curing input  Fire danger/behaviour output  Fire management decisions

3. Grassland Curing Index - How it’s done now AVHRR method compares reflectance in two spectral bands Developed by CSIRO, run by Bureau of Meteorology Victoria and South Australia only >95% >65% >85% >45% >25% <25%

4. Bushfire CRC - Project A1.4 Improved methods for the assessment and prediction of grassland curing Aim: Develop techniques of grassland curing assessment that are robust, reliable, validated and applicable across Australia and New Zealand Duration: July 2004 – June 2010 Field measurement program: Systematic sampling of fuel moisture content at several sites across Australia and NZ, through three or four seasons

5. Bushfire CRC - Project A1.4 Improved methods for the assessment and prediction of grassland curing Approaches: Remote sensing (vegetation indices, thermal) - AVHRR, MODIS Pasture growth models - Assessment, Prediction Soil moisture - Direct measurements - Indicators Drought Code Keetch Byram Drought Index Soil Dryness Index - Validate/improve water balance in growth models

6. Vegetation indices: MODIS vs AVHRR

7. Curing and soil moisture: Questions and requirements Can progression of visible curing and soil moisture be related? Can soil moisture observations improve/validate growth models? Requires measurements spread through a curing season Which measure of soil moisture is most appropriate? Can fuel moisture content be estimated, or optical estimates improved, with microwave observations of vegetation? Co-locate some curing sampling sites with soil moisture sites General requirements for satellite targets: - Little topography (over ~1  1 km 2 ) - Few or no trees (over ~1  1 km 2 ) - A range of grassland types

8. Other useful measurements VNIR spectrometer measurements of surface - ground, air, multiangular? Thermal radiometer measurements of surface - radiometric land surface temperature, multiangular?