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Montana and Alberta (Canada) …
Title Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003
Abstract Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada).
Completed 2003-07-30
Montana and Alberta (Canada) …
Title Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003
Abstract Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada).
Completed 2003-07-30
Montana and Alberta (Canada) …
Title Montana and Alberta (Canada) fires - July 29, 2003
Abstract Push-in to the fires in Montana (US) and Alberta (Canada).
Completed 2003-07-30
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska …
Title Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska and Canada both suffered multi-fire damage. On June 29, 2004, these smoke plumes were detected from space by the Aqua satellite.
Completed 2004-08-19
Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska …
Title Fires Ravage Parts of Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska and Canada both suffered multi-fire damage. On June 29, 2004, these smoke plumes were detected from space by the Aqua satellite.
Completed 2004-08-19
Smoke from Canadian Wildfire …
Title Smoke from Canadian Wildfires
Abstract Smoke from multiple large wildfires in Quebec, Canada, drifted far to the south of the border. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center reported there were seven out-of-control fires burning south of James Bay (the southern extension of Hudson Bay), all probably the result of lightning.
Completed 2002-08-13
Smoke from Canadian Wildfire …
Title Smoke from Canadian Wildfires
Abstract Smoke from multiple large wildfires in Quebec, Canada, drifted far to the south of the border. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center reported there were seven out-of-control fires burning south of James Bay (the southern extension of Hudson Bay), all probably the result of lightning.
Completed 2002-08-13
The First Day In The Life of …
Title The First Day In The Life of Aqua/MODIS
Abstract In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua/MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. East Coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time.
Completed 2002-08-13
The First Day In The Life of …
Title The First Day In The Life of Aqua/MODIS
Abstract In its first day of operations, June 24, 2002, Aqua/MODIS observed significant Earth events occurring all over the globe. As Super Typhoon Chataan was rapidly approaching Japan, there was severe flooding in southeast Texas and a vast, thick pall of smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed almost the entire U.S. East Coast. MODIS collected and beamed to Earth these images in very near real-time.
Completed 2002-08-13
MODIS White Sky Albedo Unwra …
Title MODIS White Sky Albedo Unwraps to False Color Albedo Flat Map
Abstract The MODIS instrument, flying aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, measures albedo. Albedo measures the proportion of incoming solar radiation reaching a surface that is reflected back to the atmosphere and to space. For an unchanging surface, albedo can vary somewhat, depending on the sky and atmospheric conditions. This image maps the white-sky albedo, which is the albedo under conditions of a uniform, dense cloud cover, in which downwelling light energy comes uniformly from all directions. The color bar indicates the albedo value ranging from 0.0 to 0.4 over the Earth's land surfaces. Areas colored red show the brightest, most reflective regions, yellows and greens are intermediate values, and blues and violets show relatively dark surfaces. White indicates no data is available. Typically, vegetated surfaces and water have low albedos, while soil and urban surfaces have somewhat higher values. Note that solar energy that is not reflected away from a surface is absorbed by that surface. Thus, albedo also provides information about the amount of energy absorbed by a surface. Since this energy serves to heat the soil and the air just above the surface, albedo is an important factor in weather and climate studies, and especially is important for modeling of weather and climate on scales of days to years. This image was produced using data composited over a 16-day period, from April 7-22, 2002.
Completed 2002-07-01
Fires and Smoke Across Alask …
Title Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004.
Completed 2004-07-01
Fires and Smoke Across Alask …
Title Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004.
Completed 2004-07-01
Fires and Smoke Across Alask …
Title Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004.
Completed 2004-07-01
Fires and Smoke Across Alask …
Title Fires and Smoke Across Alaska and Canada
Abstract Alaska suffered from fire and smoke that can be seen from space. The Aqua satellite captured this breathtaking image on 29 June 2004.
Completed 2004-07-01
Burn Scars in the Pacific No …
Title Burn Scars in the Pacific Northwest
Description Fire season is winding down in western North America, but this false-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite reveals the season?s fire-scarred landscape. Vegetation is in shades of green, while burned areas are red. Scars dot the Northern Rockies from Canada (roughly top half of image) to Montana (bottom right) and Idaho, to its west. Additional large scars are visible in the Coast Mountains (left) which stretch from British Columbia, Canada, southward into Washington. Clouds are white and light blue, lakes and rivers are dark blue, and snow is bright blue. Naturally bare ground (or extremely low vegetation), such as on the highest mountains ridges at top center, or in the Columbia River Basin (bottom center), is pinkish tan. MODIS captured this image on October 4, 2003. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Hurricane Irene
Title Hurricane Irene
Description Irene was a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 150 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) and stronger gusts when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 15, 2005. The third hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season, Irene is not expected to threaten land. While Hurricane Irene may not affect the United States or Canada, it is having an effect on haze over the Atlantic Ocean. Hot, humid weather in the Mid-Atlantic states has allowed pollution to build up. As the haze flows out to sea, it is encountering Hurricane Irene, which is steering the haze in a wide circle around its northern edge. The large image provided above is at MODIS maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Fires Across the United Stat …
Title Fires Across the United States
Description This expansive image of the United States was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) on NASA?s Terra and Aqua satellites. The left hand portion of the image comes from Aqua MODIS observations captured on the afternoon of October 22, 2003, while the right hand part of the image is from Terra MODIS observations captured a few hours earlier. Several geographic regions are experiencing fires, which were detected by the sensors and are marked with red dots. At upper left, fires are still burning across the Northern Rockies, the highest concentration is in Idaho, with additional fires in Montana to its east, and southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, to the west. In the Southwest, fires are burning in southern California near Los Angeles (gray patch right at edge of image to the north of the Baja Peninsula), as well as in the arc of mountains running through Arizona. At top center, fires are scattered across the northern Great Plains, from North Dakota and across the United States? border into Canada. Far to the south, dozens more fires are burning in the Mississippi River Valley in Mississippi (against right edge), Louisiana (to the west) and Arkansas (north of Louisiana). The high-resolution image provided above is 2 kilometers per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires Across the United Stat …
Title Fires Across the United States
Description This expansive image of the United States was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) on NASA?s Terra and Aqua satellites. The left hand portion of the image comes from Aqua MODIS observations captured on the afternoon of October 22, 2003, while the right hand part of the image is from Terra MODIS observations captured a few hours earlier. Several geographic regions are experiencing fires, which were detected by the sensors and are marked with red dots. At upper left, fires are still burning across the Northern Rockies, the highest concentration is in Idaho, with additional fires in Montana to its east, and southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, to the west. In the Southwest, fires are burning in southern California near Los Angeles (gray patch right at edge of image to the north of the Baja Peninsula), as well as in the arc of mountains running through Arizona. At top center, fires are scattered across the northern Great Plains, from North Dakota and across the United States? border into Canada. Far to the south, dozens more fires are burning in the Mississippi River Valley in Mississippi (against right edge), Louisiana (to the west) and Arkansas (north of Louisiana). The high-resolution image provided above is 2 kilometers per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires and Thick Smoke over S …
Title Fires and Thick Smoke over South America
Description The skies over the heart of South America were thick with the smoke from thousands of fires on September 9, 2007. In this image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ], challenging for scientists to say what the overall effect of smoke on clouds and rainfall is. NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] and Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellites each have a MODIS sensor capable of detecting fires and mapping the extent of smoke aerosols on a daily basis. Scientists from around the world are using these data to advance our understanding of how natural and human-caused fires are changing our planet. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team., satellite, locations where the sensor detected actively burning fires are marked with red dots. The skies are flooded with smoke, which pools along the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains for thousands of kilometers. (North-to-south this image covers 3,050 kilometers, if we laid it over a map of the central United States, it would spill over the borders into both Canada and the Gulf of Mexico for at least a hundred kilometers in both directions.) Although naturally occurring fires are not uncommon in the drier forests and grasslands of South America, this type of intense, continent-spanning fire activity is almost certainly a product of human activities. Some fires are intentional, set by people to clear forest, savannas, and grasslands for ranching or farming. Other fires occur accidentally from human activities. Landscapes that have been disturbed by logging, fragmentation, or previous accidental fire are more prone to catch fire accidentally. In these situations, planned fires (such as brush clearing fires on already cleared land) can easily get out of control and invade other areas, especially during drought years. The image spans a variety of ecological regions. The top of the scene, including Peru, northern Bolivia, and western Brazil is home to the southernmost portions of the Amazon Rainforest. These wetter forests give way to the south to drier forests and more open woodlands in southern Bolivia, northwestern Paraguay and northern Argentina east of the Andes, this area is called the Chaco. In Uruguay and southern Brazil, the natural vegetation is savannas and grasslands. Even in ecosystems where fires occur naturally (the Chaco, savannas, and grasslands), human activities may change the frequency and intensity of fires. The number and different kinds of plants and animals may change as a result. And in the Amazon, naturally occurring fire was historically very rare, and trees and other plants have no real adaptations to fire. Fires in the rainforest have the potential to completely transform the Southern Amazon forests into a savanna. Fires influence not only the land surface, but the atmosphere as well. Research suggests that the impacts of smoke on the tropical atmosphere vary from place to place, season to season, and year to year. Studies have shown smoke reducing cloudiness over the Amazon itself, but not over the nearby ocean and not every year. The net impact on rainfall is also uncertain. Smoke particles suppress cloud formation by providing an over-abundance of condensation sites for water vapor. The water vapor spreads out over these particles, and it takes the cloud droplets longer to get big enough to fall as rain. The flip side, however, is that the smaller, lighter cloud droplets can rise much higher into the atmosphere, which ultimately invigorates updrafts, intensifies thunderstorms, and produces large hail and heavy rain. The competing effects in different areas and weather conditions make it extremely
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Numerous forest fires were burning in the Yukon Flats region of east-central Alaska in mid-June 2004. The fires are burning in the wake of an incredibly active week of lightning, with a record-breaking, single-day total of 8,500 strikes on June 14, followed by another 6,200 strikes the next day (according to local news reports). This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite shows some of the largest, most rapidly growing fires on June 20. Areas where MODIS detected fires are outlined in red. The two northernmost fires in the scene, the Pingo and Winter Trail Fires, are the largest of several lightning-caused fires that are being collectively called the Solstice Complex. The Pingo was estimated to be 20,350 acres as of June 20, and the Winter Trail was 11,040. The other fires pictured here are not part of the complex: Preacher Creek?20,000 acres, Edward Creek?5,300 acres, Fort Hamlin Hills?3,300 acres, Boundary?4,000 acres, and Wolf Creek?5,200. Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over eastern Alaska and western Yukon Territory, Canada, on June 29, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured this awesome image of dozens of large wildfires belching huge columns of smoke as forests went up in flames. Areas where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. A large number of the fires are burning in a region called the Yukon Flats, a vast floodplain of the northern reaches of the Yukon River. The flats are located between the Alaska Range Mountains to the south and the Brooks Range to the north, both of which are largely hidden by smoke in this scene. Many of these fires, including the 200,000-plus-acre Solstice Complex Fire located north of the "hump" in the Yukon River, were triggered during several days of extreme lightning activity. Small-scale evacuations occurred in some small towns and villages in the region, and sections of the Alaska Highway have been closed off and on. Reports from the Alaska Fire Service on June 29 indicated there were 57 large fires burning in the state. So far this season, 327 fires have affected nearly 840,000 acres. Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Alaska?s firefighters were busy in mid-June 2004, as extreme lightning activity earlier in the month triggered dozens of wildfires across the state. The largest fires were burning in the Yukon Flats region in the east-central part of the state. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the sensor on the Aqua satellite shows the region on June 22, with areas where the sensor detected active fire circled in red. The largest fire is in the northern part of the scene. According to daily briefings from the Alaska Fire Service, the Pingo Fire (top of the image) made ?significant runs to the northeast, gaining 15,890 acres? between mapping periods on June 20 and 22. Image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Large fires burning in Alaska and the Yukon Territory continue to grow, spreading thick smoke over much of Alaska. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this smoky scene on June 30, 2004. Active fire detections are marked in red. Over 930,000 acres have burned in Alaska since the fires started in mid-June. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Smoke from scores of fires flows like a river through the skies over eastern Alaska (roughly the western two-thirds of this image) and western Canada (eastern third) on June 27, 2004. The region has been experiencing extreme fire activity since mid-June, as a result of record-breaking lightning activity and unforgiving weather. The fires are so smoky it is difficult to gain perspective in the image, which was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. At top, to the right of center, ice is visible in the Beauford Sea, while at bottom center, the Gulf of Alaska peeks through clouds. The Yukon River flows westward out of the image at left. Areas where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description On July 11, 2004, the clouds that had been shielding Alaska from the view of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite finally broke, revealing that numerous large fires were still burning across the state. This scene shows the Upper Yukon Flats region in the east-central part of the state, the Yukon River runs in a tan line through the bottom half of the image. Areas where MODIS detected active fires are outlined in red. The largest of the fires is the Pingo, located just left of image center. To date, the fires have cost more than $10 million to combat. Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Since mid-June 2004, dozens of wildfires, mostly triggered by lightning, have been burning across east-central Alaska in the Yukon Flats region. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite shows the fires and thick smoke on July 13. Areas where MODIS detected active fires are outlined in red. Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description Ribbons of smoke from fires in Alaska and northern Canada swirl over the Gulf of Alaska (lower left) and British Columbia (lower right) on August 15, 2004. The image is a combination of three Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images on that day: two from MODIS on the Aqua satellite, and one from the MODIS on the Terra satellite. Actively burning fires have been marked with red dots in the image. Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires In Alaska and Northern …
Title Fires In Alaska and Northern Canada
Description According to the calendar, fall is still two weeks away, but in Alaska, the seasons have already begun to change. This image of central Alaska where the Tanana River (bottom) joins the Yukon River (top) shows that some of summer's green has become autumn's gold and brown. Large, charcoal-colored burn scars are scattered across the region, and numerous fires (marked in red) were still burning when this image was captured on September 6, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite. Some of these fires have been burning for months, triggered during a week of intense lightning activity in mid-June. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Northwest Passage Open
Title Northwest Passage Open
Description Although nearly open, the Northwest Passage was not necessarily easy to navigate in August 2007. Located 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Arctic Circle and less than 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the North Pole, this sea route poses significant challenges, and the severe depletion of sea ice means only one of these is reduced. Nevertheless, long-term opening of the passage would have global impacts on trade and natural resource use. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the Northwest Passage [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Aug2007/nwpassage_amo_2007241.kmz ] suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data obtained from the Goddard Land Processes data archives (LAADS). [ http://laads.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Thanks to Walt Meier, NSIDC, U.S. National Ice Center, and John Falkingham, Environment Canada - Canadian Ice Service for image interpretation., For over 500 years, Arctic explorers have sought a passage between the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Such a passage, often called the Northwest Passage, would connect Europe to Asia via shorter routes than the long voyage south around Africa. In 1497, English King Henry VII sent Italian explorer John Cabot to look for this hypothetical route and expeditions from some of the most famous explorers in the centuries that followed—Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook among them—met with failure. The combined efforts of a number of explorers eventually uncovered a winding path from the Atlantic to the Arctic and Pacific Oceans through the ice-bound islands of northern Canada. Even in modern times, navigating from the Atlantic to the Pacific through Canada's Arctic islands has been difficult. The summer of 2007, however, melted enough sea ice in Canada's far north to open up this long-sought passage. This image shows the islands north of mainland Canada adjacent to Greenland, as observed by the the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on August 29, 2007. While the usual veil of clouds over the Arctic is visible through the scene, the sea ice pack that normally covers the water between the islands is absent. Areas often choked with ice at this time of year, but free of it in this MODIS scene, include the Parry and McClintock Channels and the McClure Strait. Larsen Sound and Victoria Strait are hidden beneath cloud cover, but they are also largely free of sea ice. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17752 ] This provided a nearly ice-free connection between Baffin Bay (a long body of water between Canada's Baffin Island and Greenland that is regularly ice-free in summer) and the Arctic Ocean. An ice-free gap between the North American mainland and the Arctic sea, not shown here, extends all the way to the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, creating a connection almost free of all sea ice from the North Atlantic to the North Pacific. Multi-year ice (ice that survives more than one melt season) tends to be thicker and more resistant to melt than first-year ice (formed over just one winter). According to John Falkingham of the Canadian Ice Service, most of the multi-year ice melted from Victoria Strait and McClintock Channel in the summer of 2006, leaving these traditionally difficult areas more open. In mid-August 2007, only patchy areas of ice filled Victoria Strait and Larsen Sound. Falkingham described the Northwest Passage as "nearly open." Changes in the Northwest Passage were part of a larger pattern of melt in 2007 that also affected the East Siberian Sea. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17743 ]
Fires in British Columbia
Title Fires in British Columbia
Description A large fire in western British Columbia was spilling smoke down over the glacier-covered slopes of the Coast Range Mountains on July 28, 2004. In the deeply carved valleys between the white-capped peaks, turquoise rivers thick with finely ground glacial sediment flow out to the Pacific Ocean through the narrow gap between Vancouver Island (bottom left) and mainland Canada. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image, and the places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. The high-resolution image provided above is 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires in Canada's Yukon Terr …
Title Fires in Canada's Yukon Territory
Description In the southeast corner of Yukon Territory, Canada, several large fires were burning on July 4, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Gray-brown smoke blows northeast into the Northwest Territories. Clouds are bright white. According to reports from the Yukon Territory government, lightning triggered numerous fires in this area over the first weekend of July, but they were burning in wilderness areas and were not immediately threatening human life or property. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Fires in Central Canada
Title Fires in Central Canada
Description A blanket of smoke from scores of wildfires hung over central Canada on July 4, 2006. This image of the area was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite that afternoon at 2:40 p.m. Central Standard Time. Places where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. In this image, fires are burning in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Smoke appears light gray or yellow-gray, where it is very thick. The smoke spreads over a wide area, reaching northward into Northwest Territories and eastward into Manitoba. Several thousand people have been forced to evacuate their homes because of various wildfires throughout western and central Canada off and on since late June. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Fires in Central Canada
Title Fires in Central Canada
Description In central Canada, wildfires were spreading thick smoke and forcing evacuations on June 28, 2006. Forest fires, many triggered by lightning, were burning in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image on June 27. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are marked in red. Grayish smoke almost completely hides Lake Athabasca (upper left), which sits at the border of Alberta (far left) and Saskatchewan provinces. A veil of smoke also covers Reindeer Lake, at the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. According to reports from Reuters news service, [ http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-27T222354Z_01_N27287395_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-ENVIRONMENT-CANADA-FIRES-COL.XML ] the smoke is the primary cause of evacuation orders for communities in Saskatchewan province. On June 26, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13678 ] MODIS observed smoke from the fires blowing southward several hundred kilometers, beyond Lake Winnipeg. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Phytoplankton off Vancouver …
Title Phytoplankton off Vancouver Island
Description The bright blue and green swirls that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) detected off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, were made by millions of tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton. The coastal waters of the Eastern Pacific are productive because wind and ocean currents allow nutrient-rich water from deep in the ocean to rise to the surface. The cold, rising water carries phosphates and nitrates, which act as fertilizer to the phytoplankton that grow in the sunlit waters at the ocean's surface. Since phytoplankton are the base of the food chain, areas that support large phytoplankton blooms tend to have large fish populations. Off the coast of Vancouver Island and Washington State, phytoplankton blooms tend to happen when winds blow down the coast from the north. The winds push the ocean's surface water west, out to sea. Deep water rises up to replace the wind-blown surface water, and it carries the nutrients needed to support phytoplankton blooms. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image on June 25, 2006. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC
Fires in Eastern Canada
Title Fires in Eastern Canada
Description North of the St. Lawrence River in eastern Canada, numerous forest fires were burning across north-central Quebec province on June 19, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Thick smoke billows north in the scene, in previous days, the smoke spread across a wide region of the province, southward into the United States, and out over the Atlantic. Quebec is having a more-active-than normal fire season so far this summer. As of June 20, reports from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre showed that the number of fires in the province so far this summer exceeded the 20-year average by 175 fires, and the total area burned (273,153 hectares, or 674,973 acres) was more than 4.5 times the 20-year average. A total open fire ban was in place for campers and other outdoor tourists in forested areas north of the St. Lawrence, according to montrealgazette.com. [ http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=1f92d080-b007-45f1-bc32-ac3ded808b68&k=45497 ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team.
Fires in Manitoba
Title Fires in Manitoba
Description Dozens of fires were burning in Manitoba and Ontario, Canada, on August 18, 2003. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite shows the active fire detections marked in yellow. A cloud of smoke is billowing northeastward over the Hudson Bay, while a river of smoke flowing in from the western part of the image hints at more fires burning farther away. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires in Manitoba
Title Fires in Manitoba
Description Large fires were burning across Manitoba southwest of Hudson Bay on September 9, 2003. Smoke from these fires and others farther west hangs over the northeast part of the image. Active fire detections are marked with red in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from September 9, 2003. Many of the fires show dark brown burn scars. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Fires in Manitoba
Title Fires in Manitoba
Description In Manitoba, Canada, north of Lake Winnipeg, several massive fires were burning on July 23, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this photo-like image. Places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Thick plumes of smoke spread east from the forest fires. In previous days, smoke from fires degraded the air quality enough that people in communities near Southern Indian Lake (hidden by smoke to the west of Gauer Lake) had to evacuate. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel and shows a slightly wider area, including part of Saskatchewan. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides this image in additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Fires in Manitoba
Title Fires in Manitoba
Description Several huge forest fires were burning in northern Manitoba, Canada, on July 20, 2007, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected active fire are outlined in red. Huge clouds of brownish-gray smoke spread from the fires. The largest blaze is burning north of the town of Nelson House. According to news reports, communities near Southern Indian Lake had been evacuated due to hazardous air quality. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
Fires in Montana and Alberta
Title Fires in Montana and Alberta
Description The Lost Creek Fire (center) continued to grow on August 1, 2003. The blaze is on the border of Alberta and British Columbia Provinces in western Canada. This image of the fire, and others to south in Glacier National Park in Montana, was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Active fire detections captured by the sensor have been marked in yellow (this image) and with a red outline in the high-resolution image. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA-GSFC
Fires in Northern Canada
Title Fires in Northern Canada
Description In the central portion of Canada's Northwest Territories (top), Alberta (bottom left), and Saskatchewan (bottom right), dozens of fires were burning across the summer-green landscape on July 22, 2004. Most of the fires (marked in yellow in the image) are located southeast of Great Slave Lake in the top portion of the image. According to statistics provided by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center [ http://www.ciffc.ca/firewire.htm ], both the Northwest Territories and Alberta are having a much more active fire season this year than last. Both provinces have recorded nearly double the number of fires so far in 2004 than they had at this time in 2003. Burned acreage is nearly seven times what it was at this time in summer of 2004. Saskatchewan presents a mixed picture—fewer fires so far in the 2004 season, but about 1.5 times the acreage has burned compared to 2003. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Northern Canada
Title Fires in Northern Canada
Description Several territories in northern Canada are experiencing active fire seasons in 2004. This image of parts of the Northwest Territories (top), Saskatchewan (bottom left), and Manitoba (bottom right) on July 25, 2004, shows smoke billowing from multiple large fires southeast of Lake Athabasca, which straddles the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta (thin strip along left edge of image). The river of smoke flowing into this scene from the northwest comes from additional fires burning in the Northwest Territoreis, southeast of Great Slave Lake. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image along with active fire detections. Areas where MODIS detected fires are outlined in red. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004207-0725/Canada.A2004207.1925 ] Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires in Northern Canada
Title Fires in Northern Canada
Description On July 24, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA'Aqua satellite captured this image of dozens of fires burning in northern Canada southeast of Great Slave Lake (top part of image, to the left of center). Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires in Northern Canada
Title Fires in Northern Canada
Description Caught up in high-level winds, smoke from fires in Alaska and northern Canada has spread as far south as the Gulf of Mexico [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12257 ] in late July 2004. In this image, the gray-colored plume of smoke flows south and east across central Canada and reaches down toward the Great Lakes (bottom right corner of image). Hudson Bay is at top right, and Lake Winnipeg (right) and Lake Manitoba (left) are roughly in the center. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite captured this image on July 26, 2004. The high-resolution image is a mosaic of data from the MODIS sensors on both Terra and Aqua. Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Fires in Northern Washington
Title Fires in Northern Washington
Description In the mountains of northern Washington, the Tripod Complex Fire burned from July into August. This image of the region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 6, 2006. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. The actively burning parts of the Tripod Complex make two rough circles in the rugged terrain northeast of the city of Twisp. Smoke billows thickly across the state and into British Columbia, Canada. According to the August 7 report from the National Interagency Fire Center, [ http://www.nifc.gov/information.html ] the Tripod Complex Fire had grown to an estimated 57, 535 acres, and firefighters had it about 10 percent contained. Numerous residences and other structures were threatened by the fire, which was burning through timber that had been killed by beetle infestation. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center
Fires in Quebec
Title Fires in Quebec
Description According to news reports from the Montreal Gazette, more than 80 lightning-triggered fires were burning across Quebec province in Canada on June 2, 2005. As many as 18 of the fires were burning out of control. Throughout the region, hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes as a precaution, and vehicles were being escorted in convoys along sections of highways that were closed due to smoke. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite shows several large blazes to the east of James Bay (upper left) on June 1, 2005. Areas where MODIS detected active fires have been outlined in red. The high-resolution version of the image is at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The image spans an area from James Bay in the west to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in the east. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
Smoke from Alaska Fires
Title Smoke from Alaska Fires
Description A light grayish brown haze is sweeping over the ice-covered Hudson Bay from intense fires burning in Yukon Territory and Alaska to the west. The fires have been burning since mid-June, and in the past two weeks, have blanketed much of Alaska and parts of Canada with thick smoke. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this image on July 7, 2004. The image is available in multiple resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004189-0707/Canada.A2004189.1800 ]. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at GSFC
Smoke from Alaskan Fires in …
Title Smoke from Alaskan Fires in Northwestern Canada
Description Northwestern Canada felt the effects as Alaska continued to burn [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13053 ] in late August 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on August 23, 2005. In this image, a pale gray cloud of smoke several hundred kilometers long sweeps through the Northwest Territories toward the southeast, barely obscuring the view of Great Bear Lake. The smoke dips into the province of Alberta (bottom center) before turning northeast. It changes direction again to head southward over Saskatchewan and Manitoba (bottom right). Clouds—distinct from the smoke because they are pure white—surround the snaking cloud of smoke and block out the view of eastern Canada. NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response team.
Smoke from Asian Fires over …
Title Smoke from Asian Fires over Canada
Description Smoke from forest fires raging across eastern Russia is making its way around the globe. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from May 25, 2003, shows smoke from those fires over Ontario (west of Hudson Bay, top) and Quebec (east). The smoke is especially thick over Lake Superior (bottom left). Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Smoke from fires in Idaho an …
Title Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana
Description Some things are so large that the perspective from space is necessary to appreciate them. One of those things is the long-distance impact that pollutants like smoke or dust can have on air quality. On August 4, 2007, for example, fires raging in Montana and Idaho polluted the air over much of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image of the smoke and fires on the afternoon of August 4. The lower image is a mosaic of four separate flyovers (separated by faint diagonal lines), while the top image is a close-up view of the smoke and haze along the northeastern seaboard. Strong winds on August 4 created uncontrollable firestorms that forced the evacuation of at least two communities in Montana, reported the Missoulian. Fires in Montana and Idaho are marked with red dots in the lower image and are more clearly visible in the large image. In addition to fueling the flames, the winds blew dense plumes of smoke northeast. The thickest plumes rise from the fires in northwestern Montana. By the time the smoke reached eastern Montana, the plumes were no longer distinct. The air was clouded with a soupy, gray haze that curves north into Canada. High-level winds pushed the smoke south over the western Great Lakes, and into the central and southern United States. From the bank of clouds over Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, the air was white-gray with haze. From the central United States, the plume of pollution snaked over the Mid-Atlantic States and the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, where it turned north and flowed along the coast. Some additional haze may line the coast south of Cape Hatteras, but reflected sunlight has turned the ocean's surface into a mirror, effectively masking the presence of any haze. The top image provides a closer view of the haze over the Atlantic Ocean from the Delmarva Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to the Gulf of Maine, north of Cape Cod. By this point, smoke from the western wildfires is probably only one component of the haze. High temperatures and stagnant air also amplified the impact of urban pollution, creating Code Orange [ http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi#unh ] air quality conditions, which are unhealthy for sensitive groups such as active children or adults or individuals with respiratory ailments. The jetstream—the fast-moving, high-level winds that steer weather systems—is defined by the stark boundary between the hazy air over the Mid-Atlantic and the clear air over New England. Jetstream winds are clearly blocking the smoke from traveling north. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC, which provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/fas/ ] of the United States in a clickable map.
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