Images
June 27, 2015 - Fires in Uruguay and northern Argentina
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Dozens of fire burned across Argentina and Uruguay in mid-June, 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on June 16. Gray smoke rises from the fires and blows to the southwest.
Naturally occurring fires are not uncommon in the drier forests and grasslands of South America, but these fires could also certainly be a product of human activities. Some fires are intentional, set by people to clear forest, savannas, and grasslands for ranching or farming. Other fires occur accidentally from human activities. In addition, landscapes that have been disturbed by logging, fragmentation, or previous accidental fire are more prone to catch fire accidentally. In these situations, planned (or prescribed) fires (such as brush clearing fires on already cleared land) can easily get out of control and invade other areas. It is unclear which type of fires these are from the number present in the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/16/2015
Resolutions:
1km (997.7 KB), 500m (3.6 MB), 250m (8.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Dozens of fire burned across Argentina and Uruguay in mid-June, 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on June 16. Gray smoke rises from the fires and blows to the southwest.
Naturally occurring fires are not uncommon in the drier forests and grasslands of South America, but these fires could also certainly be a product of human activities. Some fires are intentional, set by people to clear forest, savannas, and grasslands for ranching or farming. Other fires occur accidentally from human activities. In addition, landscapes that have been disturbed by logging, fragmentation, or previous accidental fire are more prone to catch fire accidentally. In these situations, planned (or prescribed) fires (such as brush clearing fires on already cleared land) can easily get out of control and invade other areas. It is unclear which type of fires these are from the number present in the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/16/2015
Resolutions:
1km (997.7 KB), 500m (3.6 MB), 250m (8.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
