Estimation of pyrogenic carbon emissions from forests of Sikkim Himalaya, India: a geoinformatics approach.

With a view to understanding the micro-level mechanisms and lay the future path for improved carbon emission estimations from forest fires, we estimate fire emissions in Sikkim Himalaya, India. Remote sensing and geographical information system were used for fire scar identification, by mapping the multiple strata-based carbon density and partitioning the forest carbon into multiple pools. Fraction of carbon consumed in fire was further partitioned into the processes of flaming and smouldering. The estimation of trace gases of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane was made accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]