August 27, 2010 - Smoke and fires across western Russia

Smoke and fires across western Russia

Clouds move into western Russia as multiple clusters of blazing wildfires, indicated by red hotspots accompanied by broad streamers of smoke, continue to burn throughout the region. This true-color image is a compilation of two images captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Radiospectrometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite as it passed over the region twice on August 17, 2010.

The cluster of fires in the northeast section of the image burn in the Ural Mountains. The smoke plumes from these fires blow towards the south east, joining grey bands of smoke which stretch parallel to a broad, bright white bank of clouds. To the southeast of the cloud bank the tans and greens of ground cover can be clearly seen, indicating a lack of smoke in the air.

The cluster of fires in the western central part of the image lies in the Nizhniy Novgorod region. Some of the larger hotspots on the northeast side of this cluster appear to lie near the Cheboksarskoye Reservoir. This is the region of the Kamskoye-Bakaldinskiye marshes, cited as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. It is reported that 80-90% of the marsh area has burned, destroying at least 1/3 of the local population of Common Crane, Grus grus. The Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga, also resides in this area. That species has been listed in the 2010 IUCN Redbook as Vulnerable, with an action plan designed to ensure survival. Ornithologists speculate that the summer’s fires may cause a significant decrease in bird populations throughout central Russia.

The clouds are evidence of strong winds and rain which soaked parts of Russia beginning August 13. Although rains help quench some fires and reduced fire hazard in several areas, significant blazes continue throughout western Russia.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 8/17/2010
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC