Images
July 7, 2014 - Fires in northern Canada
Tweet
Numerous fires are burning in Canada's Northwest Territories, fueled by a very dry summer season. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on June 24, 2014 at 19:35 UTC (3:35 p.m. EDT).
The Great Slave Lake, in the southern part of the Northwestern Territories sits near the center of the image. To the northeast, beginning near Yellowknife, clusters of large red “hotspots” arc northeast across the landscape. Heavy smoke billows from these locations, indicating actively burning fires and suggesting that the landscape may be heavy in peat. Peat is partially decayed organic matter formed in wetlands, and is a rich sink of carbon. When ignited, peat burns slowly and emits heavy smoke.
Other large hotspots are located southwest and south of the ice-covered Great Bear Lake in the northern section of the image. For updates on Northwestern Territory fires, visit: http://www.nwtfire.com/cms/.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/24/2014
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Numerous fires are burning in Canada's Northwest Territories, fueled by a very dry summer season. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on June 24, 2014 at 19:35 UTC (3:35 p.m. EDT).
The Great Slave Lake, in the southern part of the Northwestern Territories sits near the center of the image. To the northeast, beginning near Yellowknife, clusters of large red “hotspots” arc northeast across the landscape. Heavy smoke billows from these locations, indicating actively burning fires and suggesting that the landscape may be heavy in peat. Peat is partially decayed organic matter formed in wetlands, and is a rich sink of carbon. When ignited, peat burns slowly and emits heavy smoke.
Other large hotspots are located southwest and south of the ice-covered Great Bear Lake in the northern section of the image. For updates on Northwestern Territory fires, visit: http://www.nwtfire.com/cms/.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/24/2014
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
