October 12, 2010 - Fires in the western Amazon Basin

Fires in the western Amazon Basin

As the dry season comes to an end, hundreds of fires burn along the rivers of Peru in the western Amazon Basin on October 6, 2010. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this true-color image as it passed over the region on that date.

In Peru, the beginning of October marks the start of the rainy season, which is also called “the big growing season”. Farmers begin to plant crops in September and October, often using slash-and-burn methods to clear cropland.

In the rainforest of Peru, the forest is so dense in many areas, that it is not practical to build roads. Instead, people rely on rivers for transportation and communication, a route for trade, a source of fish and fresh water, and a means of trade and commerce. Villages pop up along rivers, just as in more urbanized areas towns develop along roadways. When it is time to plant, villagers clear forestland close to their homes, resulting in a startling pattern of rivers lined by fire, as captured in this image.

The dry season of 2010 brought drought to Peru and has impacted many of the rivers in the region, including the Amazon, which has its headwaters in Peru. Water levels in many of the rivers have fallen dramatically, leaving some residents cut off from supplies, including potable drinking water. According to officials in Peru and Brazil, the water level in the Amazon River has fallen to its lowest level in 47 years. The start of the rainy season brings hope that the water levels will soon begin to rise again.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 10/06/2010
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC