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Fires and Thick Smoke over S
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| 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 |
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Fires and Thick Smoke over S
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| Title |
Fires and Thick Smoke over South America |
| Description |
Hundreds, possibly thousands of fires (locations marked in red) were burning in South America when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite passed overhead on September 25, 2007, and captured this image. The most intense fire activity was in Bolivia, where fires are concentrated in the Santa Cruz Department, in the southeastern part of the country. Although naturally occurring fires can occur in the savannas and dry woodlands of southern Bolivia and northern Paraguay, this type of intense, widespread burning is likely the result of human activities. Agricultural fires (for example, fires for brush or crop-residue clearing) can get out of control and spread to surrounding forests and other natural areas. Thick smoke is hanging over much of the scene. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bolivia ] images of the region in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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| Title |
Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
On April 7, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected dozens of fires (marked with red dots) burning in Paraguay (right) and Argentina (left). White puffs of smoke are associated with many of the fires. At bottom, left of center, the muddy waters of the Paran River stand out against the green vegetation of the Pampas. 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 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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| Title |
Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
Across the grassy plains of Paraguay (right) and Argentina (left), scattered fires were burning on April 12, 2003. Fires detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite are marked with red dots. In the bottom center of the image, the Paran River flows as a light brown, muddy line. The purplish-brown areas to the west and east of the river are wetlands. 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 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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| Title |
Fires in Argentina and Paraguay |
| Description |
Scores of fires were burning in central South America and were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on April 16, 2003. Fires (red dots) are visible is Paraguay (top center) and Argentina (left). Right of center, fires are burning in the peninsula-like Misiones region of Argentina, which harbors some of the last remaining tracts of a unique rainforest ecosystem known as Atlantic Rainforest. The ecosystem, which is different from the Amazon rainforest of the interior portion of the continent, once stretched hundred of miles inland along most of the eastern South American coastline, but it has been almost completely cut down in the centuries since European settlement. 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 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Hundreds of fires were detected across South America by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on August 1, 2003. Fires (red dots) were detected in Brazil (right), Argentina (bottom left), and Paraguay (top left). Biomass burning is concentrated during the months of July-October in the Southern Hemisphere portion of South America, and is linked to agricultural activities, including the use of fire to permanently deforest areas and convert them to agricultural land. In the image, isolated patches of intact forest appear deep green, while agricultural lands and tropical savannas appear lighter green. 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 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Scores of fires (red dots) burn across the South American countries of (clockwise from upper right) Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite acquired on August 11, 2003. The fires, which are marked in red, are mostly concentrated in the Gran Chaco region, which stretches across northeastern Argentina, southern Bolivia, and southern Paraguay. The Gran Chaco is an extensive arid lowland plain that is alternately dotted with swamps (in the rainy season) and dense forests. The region is sparsely populated, some of the highest temperatures in South America have been recorded here, and there are only a few crops for settlers to grow that will survive in the region. Cotton is one: it is grown primarily in the Chaco Central, south of the Pilcomayo River in Argentina. The forests are home to the quebracho tree (source of much of the vegetable tanin used in leather curing) which is one of the most durable hardwood trees, and is the other pillar of the Gran Chaco's economy. Unfortunately, due to its popularity, quebracho tree populations are dwindling. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Hundreds of fires (marked in red) were detected across Paraguay (center) on August 13, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. Argentina is at bottom left of the scene, and Brazil is at right. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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| Title |
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay |
| Description |
Fires are spread across the plains at the foothills of South America's Andes Mountains (left edge) on August 20, 2003. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite shows hundreds, possibly thousands of "hot spots" spread across (clockwise from top left) Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. In eastern Paraguay, a huge plume of smoke spreads out like a fan over the terrain, while more diffuse smoke stretches over the bottom left of the scene. 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 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
On March 24, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite captured this image of central South America, showing fires burning in Argentina (left), Paraguay (top center), and Brazil (right). Fires have been marked with red dots. The dark green peninsular arm of Argentina is the Misiones province, which contains a mostly intact remnant of the extremely endangered Atlantic Rainforest ecosystem. The widespread nature of the fires and their location (generally located in areas of low vegetation (tan and light green) suggests that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
A thick veil of smoke covered much of South America on September 14, 2004, as intense fires continued to burn in western Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Such widespread fires are not natural in the humid, tropical environment, and these were probably started to clear land for agriculture. As this image demonstrates, local agricultural fires can have a long reach. The smoke inhibits cloud formation and rainfall, which can impact a large area. In this case, the smoke is drifting northwest along the east side of the Andes Mountains, traveling well over a thousand kilometers from its point of origin. To learn more about the effects of fires in the Amazon, please read ?From Forest to Field: How Fire is Transforming the Amazon.? [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/AmazonFire/ ] To learn more about the impact of smoke on clouds and the energy balance of the Amazon, please read ?Clouds are Cooler than Smoke.? [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/SmokeClouds/ ] This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on both the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] and the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellites. The image is a mosaic of five separate granules (the data collected during a five minute period), and as such, shows a much larger area than a single MODIS scene. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. A closer view of the fires taken during a single Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] overpass is available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. See also Fires Near Xingu River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12418 ] for more images of the biomass burning that has been ongoing in this region for more than two months. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
In central South America on August 2, 2005, hundreds of active fires were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite when it flew overhead. The active fire locations are marked in red on the scene. Fires, probably agricultural fires, are scattered across Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, including the peninsula-like Misiones province of Argentina, where some of the last remnants of the rainforest ecosystem known as "Atlantic Forest" are found. Scientists believe the ecosystem, distinct from the Amazon, once stretched thousands of kilometers along the coast of South America and reached inland several hundred kilometers. Like the forests of eastern North America, most of the "Mata Atlantica" fell to European settlers hundreds of years ago. The high-resolution image provided above is 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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| Title |
Fires in Central South America |
| Description |
In central South America, smoke pours from hundreds of fires burning across parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on September 3, 2005. Locations where MODIS detected active fires are marked in red. Along the top portion of the scene is the Amazon Rainforest, which transitions to drier woodlands and mixed grassland landscapes farther south. Fires congregate along new roads and at the edges of existing clearings in the Amazon, indicating they are caused by people clearing or managing existing agricultural land. While they are not necessarily immediately hazardous, such fires can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Land Processes DAAC. |
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Fires Near Xingu River
| Title |
Fires Near Xingu River |
| Description |
Across Brazil (right), Bolivia (left), and Paraguay (bottom center), the annual burning season is decidedly underway. This image of the region captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua satellite on August 15, 2004, shows numerous active fires (marked in red) and thick smoke hanging over the top and left parts of the scene. The intensity of the smoke from many of the fires suggests that forests, and not just previously cleared agricultural land, are burning. This image shows a larger area of South America than previous images in this series, the Xingu River watershed is located in the fragment of forest hanging down from the intact portion of the rainforest at upper right. The spatial resolution of the large 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 |
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Fires and Thick Smoke over S
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Hundreds, possibly thousands
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Bolivia_AMO_2007268
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Bolivia_AMO_2007268 |
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Fires in Argentina, Paraguay
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires, probably related to l
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Argentina_AMO_2008198
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-07-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Argentina_AMO_2008198 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick veil of smoke covere
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modis_samerica_14sep04
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
modis_samerica_14sep04 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick veil of smoke covere
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modis_samerica_14sep04
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-09-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
modis_samerica_14sep04 |
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Fires and Smoke Across South
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The skies over the heart of
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samerica_amo_2007252
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Rapid Response team. |
| identifier |
samerica_amo_2007252 |
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Fires Near Xingu River: Natu
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Across Brazil (right), Boliv
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Brazil.AMOA2004228
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-08-15 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Brazil.AMOA2004228 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Hundreds of fires were detec
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Paraguay.AMOA2003213
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003213 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On March 24, 2004, the modis
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Brazil.AMOA2004084
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-24 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Brazil.AMOA2004084 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires are spread across the
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Paraguay.AMOA2003232
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003232 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scores of fires (red dots) b
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Argentina.AMOA2003223
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Argentina.AMOA2003223 |
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Hundreds of Fires in Bolivia
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Hundreds, possibly thousands
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ge_08077
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-25 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center |
| identifier |
ge_08077 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In central South America, sm
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samazon_amo_03sep05
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-08-31 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
samazon_amo_03sep05 |
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Fires in Brazil, Argentina,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Hundreds of fires (marked in
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Paraguay.AMOA2003225
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-08-13 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003225 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scores of fires were burning
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Paraguay.AMOA2003106
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-16 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003106 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Across the grassy plains of
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Paraguay.AMOA2003102
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003102 |
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Biomass Burning in Paraguay:
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On November 9, 2002, the mod
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Paraguay.AMOA2002313
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-11-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2002313 |
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Fires in Argentina and Parag
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On April 7, 2003, the modis.
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Paraguay.AMOA2003097
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-07 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2003097 |
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Fires in Central South Ameri
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In central South America on
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Paraguay.AMOA2005214
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-08-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Paraguay.AMOA2005214 |
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