Images
July 23, 2009 - Fires and Smoke in Alaska
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Forest fires made the skies over interior Alaska smoky in the first week of July 2009. This image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on July 8, 2009, shows several lightning-triggered fires (marked in red) near Fairbanks, Alaska. The Tanana River runs horizontally across the image; Fairbanks is the brown patch located just north of the 2nd "hump" shaped made by the river. There is a large fire to the northeast, and two to the west, though there seem to be other smaller scattered fires all over the area.
The largest fire was the combined Bear Lake/Minto Flats South Fire; according to the situation summary report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center on July 7, the fire was estimated to be just over 79,000 acres. The Bear Creek Fire is just inside the northern perimeter of Denali National Park. Dark brown patches mark the locations of old fires.
Most fires in interior Alaska are triggered by lightning. According to observations from the Alaska Fire Service’s automated lightning-detection network, interior Alaska’s “lightning season” peaks in late June or early July. Most strikes occur between 4 and 6 p.m. as a result of severe storms; a severe storm may be accompanied by anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 lightning strikes.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 07/08/2009
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Forest fires made the skies over interior Alaska smoky in the first week of July 2009. This image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on July 8, 2009, shows several lightning-triggered fires (marked in red) near Fairbanks, Alaska. The Tanana River runs horizontally across the image; Fairbanks is the brown patch located just north of the 2nd "hump" shaped made by the river. There is a large fire to the northeast, and two to the west, though there seem to be other smaller scattered fires all over the area.
The largest fire was the combined Bear Lake/Minto Flats South Fire; according to the situation summary report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center on July 7, the fire was estimated to be just over 79,000 acres. The Bear Creek Fire is just inside the northern perimeter of Denali National Park. Dark brown patches mark the locations of old fires.
Most fires in interior Alaska are triggered by lightning. According to observations from the Alaska Fire Service’s automated lightning-detection network, interior Alaska’s “lightning season” peaks in late June or early July. Most strikes occur between 4 and 6 p.m. as a result of severe storms; a severe storm may be accompanied by anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 lightning strikes.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 07/08/2009
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
