Fires in Central Canada
Fires in Central Canada
12July 2006
Carbon Monoxide from Canadian Fires
The fires in central and western Canada impacted air quality in late June and early July 2006. Smoke includes carbon monoxide, a gas that is toxic in high concentrations. The Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on NASAs Terra satellite measured carbon monoxide between29 June and 5 July 2006. This image maps the carbon monoxide that accumulated over the area during thatperiod.
MOPITT – Terra
29 June – 5 July 2006
MOPITT measures carbon monoxide in parts per billion by volume (ppbv). A measurement of 100 ppbv means that out of every billion air molecules in the air column, 100 of them are carbon monoxide. In this image, the colors indicate the carbon monoxide concentrations, ranging from 0 (blue) to 300 (red). These measurements indicate the carbon monoxide concentration at approximately 3 kilometers above the Earths surface. Accumulations of carbon monoxide in excess of 150 ppbv are widespread, with small areas of concentrations near 300 ppbv. Patches of gray indicate areas where MOPITT could not collect data, likely due toclouds.
(source: EarthObservatory)