Waste fire surveillance: A case study using remote sensing data and IoT ground sensing for monitoring fires at waste...

The combustion of solid waste remains an understudied global challenge due to difficulty in monitoring these types of fires. Furthermore, the health and environmental impacts of waste fires are disproportionately felt by rural and Indigenous communities. To address this gap, we characterized fires at landfills, unregulated disposal sites, and recycling facilities using NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) and high spatial-temporal-resolution satellite imagery from PlanetScope for 2019-2024; we also evaluated spatial and temporal increases in particulate matter (PM) concentrations concurrent with fire events and IoT ground sensing systems in a complementary approach. Results indicated that 35% of identified fires were detected by FIRMS, 52% by PlanetScope products, and elevated PM_2.5 levels were observed during 37% of fires. VIIRS instruments account for a majority of detections. Across detections, brightness temperature ranged from 295.4-367.0 K and fire radiative power (FRP) ranged from 0.3-376.3 W. A general increase in detections is seen after 2017-2018, concurrent with geopolitical trends, climate change, and changes in waste composition that increase risk of waste-fire. These findings demonstrate the potential utility of remote sensing data products for the surveillance of waste fires, thereby enhancing capacity to address the health and environmental impacts of these events. Notably, this is the first study emphasizing surveillance of unregulated disposal site fires in the American waste stream.