Images
September 30, 2010 - Fires across the western United States
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Remarkably clear skies over the western United States on September 28, 2010 allowed the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite to capture a sweeping view of a portion of ten states. Red hotspots can be seen across the region, with clusters in Idaho and Utah. Hotspots indicate areas where the temperature exceeds background, and can be caused by a variety of phenomenon. The association of the hotspots with plumes of gray smoke, as seen in this image, strongly suggests fire as the source of the thermal increase.
Black lines have been overlayed on the MODIS image to mark state boundaries. From north to south along the western edge of the image are Washington, Oregon and California. Moving eastward inland, the states are Idaho, Nevada and Utah,and Arizona; then Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
In the lower right corner of the image four boundary lines join together in one spot. This is called the “Four Corners” and is the only place in the United States where four states come together in a single point. Another major feature of the region is the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which can be seen surrounded by the extensive white salt flats marking the remnants of Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake appears brown in the north and blue in the south, with a sharp line dividing the color transition. This sharp line marks a 13 mile rock-fill railroad causeway, which reduces the mixing of the waters of the lake. The water to the north is more saline than the water to the south.
Although there are many hotspots throughout the region, the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), reports only 42 wildfires affecting the regions within this image on September 28, 2010 and reports that those fires affected about 892 acres. At the same time, 1,829 acres were affected by 14 prescribed burns.
At the time of the image, Idaho was actively using prescribed burns for forest management, and that is likely the reason for the clusters seen in that state. Further south, however, Utah was experiencing wildfires, the largest of which appears south of the Great Salt Lake as two large hotspots accompanied by heavy smoke. This is the Twitchell Canyon Fire, which was ignited on July 20, 2010 by a lightning strike. Only 28% contained on September 28, it has burned over 40,000 acres to date.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/28/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Remarkably clear skies over the western United States on September 28, 2010 allowed the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite to capture a sweeping view of a portion of ten states. Red hotspots can be seen across the region, with clusters in Idaho and Utah. Hotspots indicate areas where the temperature exceeds background, and can be caused by a variety of phenomenon. The association of the hotspots with plumes of gray smoke, as seen in this image, strongly suggests fire as the source of the thermal increase.
Black lines have been overlayed on the MODIS image to mark state boundaries. From north to south along the western edge of the image are Washington, Oregon and California. Moving eastward inland, the states are Idaho, Nevada and Utah,and Arizona; then Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
In the lower right corner of the image four boundary lines join together in one spot. This is called the “Four Corners” and is the only place in the United States where four states come together in a single point. Another major feature of the region is the Great Salt Lake in Utah, which can be seen surrounded by the extensive white salt flats marking the remnants of Lake Bonneville. The Great Salt Lake appears brown in the north and blue in the south, with a sharp line dividing the color transition. This sharp line marks a 13 mile rock-fill railroad causeway, which reduces the mixing of the waters of the lake. The water to the north is more saline than the water to the south.
Although there are many hotspots throughout the region, the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), reports only 42 wildfires affecting the regions within this image on September 28, 2010 and reports that those fires affected about 892 acres. At the same time, 1,829 acres were affected by 14 prescribed burns.
At the time of the image, Idaho was actively using prescribed burns for forest management, and that is likely the reason for the clusters seen in that state. Further south, however, Utah was experiencing wildfires, the largest of which appears south of the Great Salt Lake as two large hotspots accompanied by heavy smoke. This is the Twitchell Canyon Fire, which was ignited on July 20, 2010 by a lightning strike. Only 28% contained on September 28, it has burned over 40,000 acres to date.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/28/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
