[Canada] Canada-built sensor to track volcanoes, fires from space

From : Timescolonist

A Canadiandeveloped infrared sensor designed to help monitor forest fires, pollutants and volcanic activity was launched into space Friday. An Argentine satellite with eight instruments aboard - including the Quebec-built sensor - rocketed into orbit at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for a five-year mission.

The sensor will detect the saltiness of the ocean and retrieve ocean surface temperatures, as well as monitor hot spots around the globe, such as forest fires and volcanic activity, the Canadian Space Agency said. Scientists hope the data will help officials spot fires that cover as little as one square kilometre to allow firefighters to attend blazes as soon as possible and cut down on casualties, damage and carbon emissions.

Canada is home to about 10 per cent of the world's forests. An average of more than two million hectares of forest burn each year, and researchers expect this number to rise due to climate change. The infrared sensor was developed by teams in Canada and in Argentina, and constructed by Quebec-based Institut national d'optique.