Images
June 24, 2024 - Burn Scars in Brazil's Pantanal
June 21, 2024
April 19, 2024
Tweet
Unusually early and intense blazes spread over Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands in late May and early June 2024. Lack of wet-season rainfall dried vegetation and helped the wildfires spread well before the region’s fire season typically begins.
The Pantanal, a vast floodplain in South America, is a mosaic of lakes, flooded grasslands, shrublands, and forests that covers an area as large as West Virginia. It is home to thousands of species, including jaguars, giant river otters, hyacinth macaws, and giant armadillos.
Fire season in southern Brazil usually starts in July and peaks in August and September. In June 2024, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) observed unusually intense fire activity in the Pantanal. Using data from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite, INPE detected 549 active fires as of June 11, which is more fire detections than any June in INPE’s record, going back to 1998. It was reported that 372,000 hectares had burned between January 1 and June 11, which is a 54 percent larger region than the same period in 2020. That year has been considered the worst year for wildfires in the Pantanal. Many of the fires were recent, scorching the ground in late may through June.
On June 19, 2024, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of burn scars from fires that ravaged the Pantanal near Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The city lies just south of the largest V-shaped burn scar, which appears brown against the bright green vegetation. Bolivia lies to the west, with the land north and east belonging to Brazil. Only a few burn scars creep over the border with Bolivia.
Aqua MODIS acquired another false-color image of the on April 19, 2024, before the devastating fire season had begun. For comparison, clicking on that date below the images reveals a sweeping area of green vegetation, with only a few pale tan burn scars visible in the far north of the image, in Brazil. Lakes, streams, and water-filled wetlands appear deep blue.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/21/2024
Resolutions:
1km (104.2 KB), 500m (282.8 KB), 250m (452.4 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
June 21, 2024 April 19, 2024
Unusually early and intense blazes spread over Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands in late May and early June 2024. Lack of wet-season rainfall dried vegetation and helped the wildfires spread well before the region’s fire season typically begins.
The Pantanal, a vast floodplain in South America, is a mosaic of lakes, flooded grasslands, shrublands, and forests that covers an area as large as West Virginia. It is home to thousands of species, including jaguars, giant river otters, hyacinth macaws, and giant armadillos. Fire season in southern Brazil usually starts in July and peaks in August and September. In June 2024, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) observed unusually intense fire activity in the Pantanal. Using data from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite, INPE detected 549 active fires as of June 11, which is more fire detections than any June in INPE’s record, going back to 1998. It was reported that 372,000 hectares had burned between January 1 and June 11, which is a 54 percent larger region than the same period in 2020. That year has been considered the worst year for wildfires in the Pantanal. Many of the fires were recent, scorching the ground in late may through June.
On June 19, 2024, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of burn scars from fires that ravaged the Pantanal near Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The city lies just south of the largest V-shaped burn scar, which appears brown against the bright green vegetation. Bolivia lies to the west, with the land north and east belonging to Brazil. Only a few burn scars creep over the border with Bolivia.
Aqua MODIS acquired another false-color image of the on April 19, 2024, before the devastating fire season had begun. For comparison, clicking on that date below the images reveals a sweeping area of green vegetation, with only a few pale tan burn scars visible in the far north of the image, in Brazil. Lakes, streams, and water-filled wetlands appear deep blue.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/21/2024
Resolutions:
1km (104.2 KB), 500m (282.8 KB), 250m (452.4 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
