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June 1, 2025 - Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Reaches Europe
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On May 30, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a startling true-color image soot-colored smoke spinning in the winds over the Atlantic Ocean.
The dense smoke originated from dozens of fires, many raging out-of-control, burning in the northern plains of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, Canada. According to a broader view of the day’s Terra MODIS imagery available on the NASA Worldview App, the river of smoke first dipped southward to cover much of the central United States before curving northeast and heading towards the Atlantic to reach Europe—a windswept journey of more than 7,000 kilometers (4,300 miles). On May 31, the Donegal Weather Channel confirmed that Canadian smoke had arrived in western Europe and was visible across Ireland and England.
In addition to the smoke, two silvery streaks can be seen on a northeast to southwest axis, one in the center of the Atlantic Ocean and one between the Iberian Peninsula and western Africa. These are not related to wildfires, but are an optical phenomenon known as “sunglint”. Sunglint occurs when the light reflected off the surface bounces directly back at the satellite sensor. This creates a silver-toned sheen on the image. Sunglint occurs at regular intervals as the satellite travels across the Earth.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/30/2025
Resolutions:
1km (3.3 MB), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On May 30, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured a startling true-color image soot-colored smoke spinning in the winds over the Atlantic Ocean.
The dense smoke originated from dozens of fires, many raging out-of-control, burning in the northern plains of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, Canada. According to a broader view of the day’s Terra MODIS imagery available on the NASA Worldview App, the river of smoke first dipped southward to cover much of the central United States before curving northeast and heading towards the Atlantic to reach Europe—a windswept journey of more than 7,000 kilometers (4,300 miles). On May 31, the Donegal Weather Channel confirmed that Canadian smoke had arrived in western Europe and was visible across Ireland and England.
In addition to the smoke, two silvery streaks can be seen on a northeast to southwest axis, one in the center of the Atlantic Ocean and one between the Iberian Peninsula and western Africa. These are not related to wildfires, but are an optical phenomenon known as “sunglint”. Sunglint occurs when the light reflected off the surface bounces directly back at the satellite sensor. This creates a silver-toned sheen on the image. Sunglint occurs at regular intervals as the satellite travels across the Earth.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 5/30/2025
Resolutions:
1km (3.3 MB), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
