Images
January 6, 2026 - Burn Scars in South Sudan
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Fire is a traditional and widespread tool used for agriculture In Africa’s Sahel—the semiarid belt along the southern border of the Sahara Desert. Farmland is burned to clear land to prepare for planting crops, to clear stubble after crops have been harvested, or to prepare or renew pasture for livestock. Such fires are cheap to use and are effective tools, but have several drawbacks, such as releasing smoke that can damage human and animal health or escaping control, which would potentially allow massive non-target areas to be destroyed.
On January 4, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of actively burning fire and burn scars in southeastern South Sudan. The burn scars and fires are located east of the White Nile and in (and around) the marshy region called the Sudd.
In this type of false-color image, vegetation appears bright green, water is blue, and clouds are white. Burn scars—the area left behind after fire scorches the land—may appear in several hues ranging from brick red, to brown, to black, depending on many factors including soil type, completeness of burn, and how long ago the fire burned the area. Recent fires are most often brick red and older burn scars are lighter in color, with green vegetation filling in over time. Active fires in this image show up as spots of orange.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/4/2026
Resolutions:
1km (104.4 KB), 500m (253.7 KB), 250m (272.5 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fire is a traditional and widespread tool used for agriculture In Africa’s Sahel—the semiarid belt along the southern border of the Sahara Desert. Farmland is burned to clear land to prepare for planting crops, to clear stubble after crops have been harvested, or to prepare or renew pasture for livestock. Such fires are cheap to use and are effective tools, but have several drawbacks, such as releasing smoke that can damage human and animal health or escaping control, which would potentially allow massive non-target areas to be destroyed.
On January 4, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this false-color image of actively burning fire and burn scars in southeastern South Sudan. The burn scars and fires are located east of the White Nile and in (and around) the marshy region called the Sudd.
In this type of false-color image, vegetation appears bright green, water is blue, and clouds are white. Burn scars—the area left behind after fire scorches the land—may appear in several hues ranging from brick red, to brown, to black, depending on many factors including soil type, completeness of burn, and how long ago the fire burned the area. Recent fires are most often brick red and older burn scars are lighter in color, with green vegetation filling in over time. Active fires in this image show up as spots of orange.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/4/2026
Resolutions:
1km (104.4 KB), 500m (253.7 KB), 250m (272.5 KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
