October 29, 2014 - Fires and smoke in eastern Asia

Fires and smoke in eastern Asia

Northeastern China is traditionally an area rich in agriculture, and the management techniques used in the region are also traditional – including the use of fire. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on October 18, 2014 when the land was ablaze with agricultural fires.

Each red hotspot marks an area where the thermal sensors on the instrument detected temperatures higher than background. When accompanied by smoke, as in this image, such hotspots indicate actively burning fire. Farmers often use fire to return nutrients to the soil and to clear the ground of unwanted plants. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality. Haze in this region tends to worsen in the fall and winter, when cold, heavy air traps pollutants near the surface.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/18/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC