Images
May 5, 2024 - Fires and Smoke in Mexico
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Many dozens of fires dotted the landscape of Mexico in early May 2024 as smoke covered the region, including the Gulf of Mexico. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image of fire and smoke on May 2.
Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures typical of fire. While it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire from satellite imagery, the widespread nature, location, and time of year strongly suggests that most of these fires are agricultural in nature. This means that they were deliberately set to and managed to prepare land for cropping or pasture, including burning forest to open new land for agricultural use.
According to Global Forest Watch, the peak fire season typically begins in mid-March and lasts around 14 weeks. The current fire season in this region appears to be normal, compared to previous years. Some fires are evident in Belize and northern Guatemala, in the southeastern section of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/2/2024
Resolutions:
1km (162.9 KB), 500m (554 KB), 250m (1.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Many dozens of fires dotted the landscape of Mexico in early May 2024 as smoke covered the region, including the Gulf of Mexico. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired this true-color image of fire and smoke on May 2.
Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures typical of fire. While it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire from satellite imagery, the widespread nature, location, and time of year strongly suggests that most of these fires are agricultural in nature. This means that they were deliberately set to and managed to prepare land for cropping or pasture, including burning forest to open new land for agricultural use.
According to Global Forest Watch, the peak fire season typically begins in mid-March and lasts around 14 weeks. The current fire season in this region appears to be normal, compared to previous years. Some fires are evident in Belize and northern Guatemala, in the southeastern section of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/2/2024
Resolutions:
1km (162.9 KB), 500m (554 KB), 250m (1.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
