Fires in Congo
Fires in Democratic Republic of Congo
16 April 2007
In northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, in the countrys Equateurprovince, scores of fires were burning on 1 April 2007, when the ModerateResolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite passed overheadand captured this image. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fires aremarked in red.
AQUA
1 April 2007
Fires were concentrated in the area north of the Congo River. This area isnorth of the equator, and it experiences its dry season roughly fromDecember-February each year. These fires likely indicate agriculturalpreparations for the upcoming wet (growing) season, which begins in April.Although it is not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burningcan have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and naturalresources.
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.
(source: EarthObservatory)