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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 and Thick Smoke over S …
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
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, …
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
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, …
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
Fires in Central South Ameri …
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.
Fires in Central South Ameri …
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.
Fires in South America
Title Fires in South America
Description In central South America, hundreds of fires were burning in the diverse landscapes of Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina on August 28, 2005. This image spans the heart of the continent, from Amazon rainforests near the top of the scene to the savannas of southeastern Brazil. The image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, and active fire detections made by the sensor are marked with red dots. Fire serves a variety of purposes in land management practices in South America, including renewal of pasture, burning of crop stubble, and the clearing of natural vegetation to make way for people. The high-resolution image provided above has a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center.
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
Fires Surrounding Xingu Nati …
Title Fires Surrounding Xingu National Park, Brazil
Description A plume of smoke from fires (red dots) in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil hangs over the center of this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on June 16, 2003. At the top of the image, the Amazon Rainforest is becoming fragmented by areas of deforestation, which appear as geometric shapes of light green amid the deeper green of remaining forest. Right of center, a preserve/national park hangs like a pendulum down from the forests. This is the Xingu National Park and Indigenous Peoples Preserve. At bottom left in the image are Bolivia (north) and Paraguay (south). Running along the border of these two countries and Brazil is a large wetland ecosystem called the Pantanal. 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 and Thick Smoke over S …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Hundreds, possibly thousands …
Bolivia_AMO_2007268
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2007-09-25
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Bolivia_AMO_2007268
Fires in Central South Ameri …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick veil of smoke covere …
modis_samerica_14sep04
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-09-14
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier modis_samerica_14sep04
Fires in Central South Ameri …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick veil of smoke covere …
modis_samerica_14sep04
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-09-14
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier modis_samerica_14sep04
Fires in South America: Natu …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In central South America, hu …
Brazil.TMOA2005240
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-28
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Brazil.TMOA2005240
Corrientes, Argentina, and t …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Corrientes, Argentina (popul …
ISS010-E-5070_Corrientes
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-10-25
creator NASA -- Astronaut photograph eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS010&roll=E&frame=5070 ISS010-E-5070 was acquired October 25, 2004, with a Kodak K-760C digital camera with an 800-millimeter lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC eol.jsc.nasa.gov Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
identifier ISS010-E-5070_Corrientes
Fires Surrounding Xingu Nati …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A plume of smoke from fires …
Brazil.TMOA2003167
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-06-16
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Brazil.TMOA2003167
Fires and Smoke Across South …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
The skies over the heart of …
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
Fires Near Xingu River: Natu …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Across Brazil (right), Boliv …
Brazil.AMOA2004228
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2004-08-15
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Brazil.AMOA2004228
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Fires are spread across the …
Paraguay.AMOA2003232
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-08-20
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Paraguay.AMOA2003232
Fires in Brazil, Argentina, …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Scores of fires (red dots) b …
Argentina.AMOA2003223
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2003-08-11
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier Argentina.AMOA2003223
Widespread Burning in South …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
*Full-size image* eoimages.g …
Bolivia_fires
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2001-09-19
creator NASA -- Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
identifier Bolivia_fires
Hundreds of Fires in Bolivia …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
Hundreds, possibly thousands …
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
Fires in Central South Ameri …
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In central South America, sm …
samazon_amo_03sep05
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-08-31
creator NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day
identifier samazon_amo_03sep05
Rosario, Argentina: Image of …
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle …
The Parana River, in the cen …
ISS011-E-6422
mediatype IMAGE
mediatype image
date 2005-05-19
creator NASA -- Astronaut photograph
identifier ISS011-E-6422
General Description International Space Station Imagery
View of forest fires in Sout …
Title View of forest fires in South America
Description This view, acquired with a Hasselblad camera equipped with a 250mm lens, shows only a small portion of forest fires that marked the Earth photography taken over Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina during this mission. Numerous fires are visible in this late-dry-season scene of the areas between the Parana and Uruguay Rivers. Most of this burning is usually associated with agricultural preparations. The nadir point of the Space Shuttle at the time this photograph was taken (2018 GMT, September 16, 1993) was 28.5 degrees South, 60.0 degrees West. The view is to the west.
Date Taken 1993-09-16
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