Images
March 24, 2011 - Fires in southern and central India
Tweet
Haze hangs over India as hundreds of fires burn across the country on March 19, 2011, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image.
Fire season occurs annually in India, and is usually considered to run from January to June, but there is regional variation. In the plains of central and northern India, most fires occur between February and June, while the northern hill country the fire season begins later, running April until June. The southern fire season begins in January and ends in May, while the high Himalayans tend to burn in May and June.
In this image, red hotspots, which indicate thermal anomalies detected by the MODIS sensors are scattered throughout the country, from south of the Himalayas to the land near the southern tip. The fires appear in tan areas, suggestive of burning of agricultural lands or dried vegetation. Fires also appear in forested areas in the south.
Fires are most often started by humans, often to manage agricultural lands for crop management or pasture management, or to clear forests. Other causes, such as accidental ignition and lightning strike, also occur. In this region at this time of year, agricultural fires are the most common source of fire.
Whatever the cause, the fires burning across India in March have claimed a human toll. According to local news sources, a large fire burned in a poor district of Mumbai on March 4, with several people injured. On March 19, the date this image was captured, an inferno blazed through a refugee camp at Gachhirampara-Naisingpara in Tripura, killing approximately 20 people and injuring over 100 more. That area lies in northwest India, just out of the range of this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/19/2011
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Haze hangs over India as hundreds of fires burn across the country on March 19, 2011, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image.
Fire season occurs annually in India, and is usually considered to run from January to June, but there is regional variation. In the plains of central and northern India, most fires occur between February and June, while the northern hill country the fire season begins later, running April until June. The southern fire season begins in January and ends in May, while the high Himalayans tend to burn in May and June.
In this image, red hotspots, which indicate thermal anomalies detected by the MODIS sensors are scattered throughout the country, from south of the Himalayas to the land near the southern tip. The fires appear in tan areas, suggestive of burning of agricultural lands or dried vegetation. Fires also appear in forested areas in the south.
Fires are most often started by humans, often to manage agricultural lands for crop management or pasture management, or to clear forests. Other causes, such as accidental ignition and lightning strike, also occur. In this region at this time of year, agricultural fires are the most common source of fire.
Whatever the cause, the fires burning across India in March have claimed a human toll. According to local news sources, a large fire burned in a poor district of Mumbai on March 4, with several people injured. On March 19, the date this image was captured, an inferno blazed through a refugee camp at Gachhirampara-Naisingpara in Tripura, killing approximately 20 people and injuring over 100 more. That area lies in northwest India, just out of the range of this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 3/19/2011
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
