Fires in Australia
Fires inAustralia
19 November 2006
Fires in Southern Queensland
Scores of fires were burning in southern Queensland on 17 November 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. Some of the fires, such as one on Fraser Island at far right in the image, are generating thick plumes of smoke. In this part of Queensland, outcrops of low, forested mountains (dark greenish-brown) mingle with savanna (tan) and croplands (green) at lowerelevations.
AQUA
17 November 2006 
The Queensland government issued a fire alert on 16 November, warning residents to be extra cautious about fire around bushland and grassland areas becausedry, windy conditions were creating an elevated fire risk.
Fires in Northwest Australia
Dozens of large fires were burning across the semi-arid landscape of northwestern Australia on17 November 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires are marked in red. Burn scars, which stand out in deep brown against the tan and faint green background of the unburned savanna and grasslands, are evident in many locations. Many of the fires are creating plumes of gray smoke that contrast sharply with the bright whiteclouds.
AQUA
17 November 2006 
The high-resolution images provided above have a spatial resolution of 250 meters perpixel.
(source: EarthObservatory).
For more on the role of fire in tropicalsavannas, visit the website of Australias Tropical Savannas Cooperative ResearchCentre.
