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September 3, 2024 - Burn Scars in Greece
August 24, 2024
July 21, 2024
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Searing summer air temperature combined with strong winds created a deadly wildfire season in Greece in 2024. The largest inferno began at Varnavas, a town about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Athens on August 11. It quickly spread towards Athens, burning roughly 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares) before reaching the suburbs near Mount Penteli. The flames killed one person and reportedly burnt many buildings and cars before hundreds of fire fighters were able to quell the flames.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of Greece on August 24 which showed the massive burn scar of the wildfire northeast of Athens. The burn scar shows up as a brick red area surrounded by vegetation (bright green), open land (tan), and man-made features such as cities which show up as areas of gray. The water of the Mediterranean Sea appears deep blue. Several other wildfires burned in Greece this year and those burn scars are also visible in this image.
For comparison, the August 24 image has been combined with a second Terra MODIS image captured on July 21, 2024, prior to the severe wildfire outbreak. To view the changes wrought by fire in just a few days longer than a month, simply click on the dates below the images.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/24/2024
Resolutions:
1km (61.9 KB), 500m (135.1 KB), 250m (199 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
August 24, 2024 July 21, 2024
Searing summer air temperature combined with strong winds created a deadly wildfire season in Greece in 2024. The largest inferno began at Varnavas, a town about 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Athens on August 11. It quickly spread towards Athens, burning roughly 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares) before reaching the suburbs near Mount Penteli. The flames killed one person and reportedly burnt many buildings and cars before hundreds of fire fighters were able to quell the flames.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of Greece on August 24 which showed the massive burn scar of the wildfire northeast of Athens. The burn scar shows up as a brick red area surrounded by vegetation (bright green), open land (tan), and man-made features such as cities which show up as areas of gray. The water of the Mediterranean Sea appears deep blue. Several other wildfires burned in Greece this year and those burn scars are also visible in this image.
For comparison, the August 24 image has been combined with a second Terra MODIS image captured on July 21, 2024, prior to the severe wildfire outbreak. To view the changes wrought by fire in just a few days longer than a month, simply click on the dates below the images.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/24/2024
Resolutions:
1km (61.9 KB), 500m (135.1 KB), 250m (199 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
