Global gas flaring activity from the ATSR (1991-2012) and SLSTR (2017-2018) sensors

This dataset contains Global gas flaring activity from the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) (1991-2012) and Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) (2017-2018) sensors. The data records have been processed to identify persistent thermal anomalies with spectral characteristics consistent with the combustion of natural gas during industrial gas flaring activities. Two different datasets are produced globally for each sensor type, one recording the activity and the other the sampling of these assumed gas flaring sites. The activity dataset records whenever a flare is up, i.e. is actively combusting, and provides a characterisation of the flares behaviour in terms of radiant heat output (in W). The determination of radiant heat output is achieved using the single channel SWIR radiance method of Fisher and Wooster (2018), based on the MWIR radiance method used extensively in the analysis of biomass burning. The sampling dataset records whenever a flaring site is seen by the satellite (irrespective of whether it is up or not) and also provides information on typical levels of cloud cover in the vicinity of the flare. The activity dataset contains information on the point location of the flare (accurate to within approximately ±1km) in the form of a lat/lon coordinate. Also provided is an index lookup that can be used to simply aggregate the flaring activity into arc-minute bins and these are referred to as lat_arcmin and lon_arcmin in the dataset. The sampling dataset is provided at the spatial level of the arc-minute binning only, and when merged onto the activity dataset long-term assessment of a flaring site can be performed. Such estimates of flaring activity over extended time periods for a given flaring site can be made by calculating the flare up-time (times seen actively flaring over time period or the expected number of cloud free overpasses for time period) and the mean radiant heat output of the flare for the same time period. The product of time period (in seconds), the estimated flare up-time and the mean radiant heat output provides an estimate of typical flare activity.