November 15, 2019 - Smoke From New South Wales Fires

Smoke From New South Wales Fires

Bushfires continued to ravage the state of New South Wales in southeastern Australia through mid-November, 2019. According to Wildfire Today, as of early November 15 (local time), more than 1,300 firefighters were working on at least 35 uncontained bushfires in the state even as gusting winds were expected to reach 60-75 km/h (37-47 mph). New South Wales Fire Service reported that at least 259 homes have been destroyed in the many dozens of fires that have plagued New South Wales just in the last week. Inspection of more than 3,100 buildings confirmed another 87 homes have been damaged and 480 outbuildings destroyed. Four people have lost their lives this past week, and a total of six people have died since the start of the current fire season, which officially began on October 1 and ends on March 31.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua acquired a true-color image of smoke pouring from the many fires burning across northeastern New South Wales on November 11. The long cloud of gray smoke obscures most of the coastline and near-coastal ocean from view. Heavy rivers of smoke are then carried by the wind to the east and the north. Smoke spans the Coral Sea between the Australian coast to reach, and pass, New Caledonia which sits more than 900 miles (1,400 km) away.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 11/11/2019
Resolutions: 1km (2.2 MB), 500m (6.3 MB), 250m (4.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC