February 16, 2012 - Fires in Indochina

Fires in Indochina

In late winter or early spring, farmers in Southeast Asia being to prepare land for seasonal agriculture, usually for planting crops. On February 14, 2012, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the region and captured this true-color image of fires across Indochina. The image is centered on Myanmar (Burma), with Laos to the east and India, then Bangladesh to the west.

Such widespread burning creates a seasonal pattern of emissions that adds to regional air pollution, and can adversely affect human health. A smoky haze can be seen hanging over the land in the northwest section of this image. In addition, smoke also obscures the ground in areas where fires are actively burning, throughout the image.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/14/2012
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC