Images
March 19, 2011 - Fires in southeastern United States
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Dozens of fires burned across the southeastern United States on a nearly cloud-free spring day on March 12, 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this natural-color image at 11:25 a.m. EST that same day.
Although fires speckle the landscape from southern Florida to North Carolina, the largest cluster is found in southwestern Georgia. According to the North America Drought Monitor (NADM), the lands which are marked by fire, especially in Georgia, were suffering moderate drought conditions in March, 2011, despite rains that fell in January and February.
Local papers report dry conditions throughout the region, and the Associate Press noted low water levels in the Okefenokee Swamp, which increases the threat of wildfire. The water level in the swamp is down about a quarter of an inch since the winter of 2007, leaving a large amount of dead vegetation, which makes excellent fuel for fires, exposed.
In this image, the Okefenokee Swamp, which appears as a large green circular region on the Georgia-Florida border, remains fire-free. The fires burn in lighter colored land, which is mottled brown and green. These are agricultural lands and are generally dryer than the swampland, making the risk of wildfire very high.
The instruments on MODIS can note thermal anomalies, but it is not possible to tell, from space, whether the fires are wildfire or controlled burns. The fires in this image are probably a combination of wildfires, which have been reported in the region, as well as those intentionally set for management of agricultural lands or forests. Spring is the time lands cleared for planting, and fire is one of the tools often used. Spring is also a time for prescribed burns in forests and wild lands.
Prescribed burns are conducted by trained personnel with the goal of reducing the risk of larger, hazardous wildfires and for improvement of wildlife habitat.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/12/2011
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Dozens of fires burned across the southeastern United States on a nearly cloud-free spring day on March 12, 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this natural-color image at 11:25 a.m. EST that same day.
Although fires speckle the landscape from southern Florida to North Carolina, the largest cluster is found in southwestern Georgia. According to the North America Drought Monitor (NADM), the lands which are marked by fire, especially in Georgia, were suffering moderate drought conditions in March, 2011, despite rains that fell in January and February.
Local papers report dry conditions throughout the region, and the Associate Press noted low water levels in the Okefenokee Swamp, which increases the threat of wildfire. The water level in the swamp is down about a quarter of an inch since the winter of 2007, leaving a large amount of dead vegetation, which makes excellent fuel for fires, exposed.
In this image, the Okefenokee Swamp, which appears as a large green circular region on the Georgia-Florida border, remains fire-free. The fires burn in lighter colored land, which is mottled brown and green. These are agricultural lands and are generally dryer than the swampland, making the risk of wildfire very high.
The instruments on MODIS can note thermal anomalies, but it is not possible to tell, from space, whether the fires are wildfire or controlled burns. The fires in this image are probably a combination of wildfires, which have been reported in the region, as well as those intentionally set for management of agricultural lands or forests. Spring is the time lands cleared for planting, and fire is one of the tools often used. Spring is also a time for prescribed burns in forests and wild lands. Prescribed burns are conducted by trained personnel with the goal of reducing the risk of larger, hazardous wildfires and for improvement of wildlife habitat.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/12/2011
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
