September 9, 2010 - Fires in eastern Brazil

Fires in eastern Brazil

A stippled pattern of white clouds overlays an intense mosaic of red hotspots and wide bands of blue-gray smoke from many hundreds, probably thousands of fires across Brazil in this true-color image. The image was captured on September 2, 2010, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead.

The image is centered in the state of Tocantins. Mato Grosso, a state whose name means “thick forest” lies to the west and the state of Goias to the south. The nation’s capital city, Brasilia can be seen in the lower right of the image, just to the southeast of a dark brown circle representing the Parque Nacionale de Brasilia. The city lies in the heart of the Cerrado, an ecosystem of trees and scrub savannah. It is a region of intense biodiversity - 81 species of mammals, 429 birds, 40 snakes and lizards, 11 amphibians, 1,000 butterflies, and 550 bees and wasps have been identified within the city limits.

The dark brown coloration of the Parque Nacionale, as well as the widespread shades of tan seen throughout the image, represents dry vegetation, agricultural lands and soil, and speaks to extreme drought conditions. The last rain in Brasilia, a light shower, was reported on May 26, 2010. No significant rain has fallen since the first week of April, over four months ago.

The climate in this region is described as tropical wet-dry, which means it has sodden, thundery summers contrasted with sunny, dry winters that approach desert-like conditions. The summer months - December, January and February - enjoy an average 63 days of rainfall, with 705 mm of rain. In June, July and August, winter rain days average only seven, with an average 34 mm of rain. This year, the drought is nearly absolute, with less than 2.6 mm of rain reported in some regions since April 7, 2010.

With so little rain, the country is tinder-dry. Under these conditions, when fires begin - usually as an agricultural tool – they can blaze quickly out of control. While there is no rain in the immediate forecast, the clouds in this image are a hopeful reminder that the spring rainy season begins in September or October. When this happens, there should be some relief from a winter filled with fire, smoke and drought.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/2/2010
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC