June 8, 2009 - Mato Grosso, Brazil

Mato Grosso, Brazil

The Mato Grosso region of Brazil is shown in this image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on June 3, 2009. The red dots are the locations of active fires. They are most likely agricultural fires and near the top right center of the image, they surround a green region, which is Xingu National Park and Indigenous Peoples Preserve. It's partially covered with clouds, but you can still make out the Xingu River.

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. 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.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 06/03/2009
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC