Fires in Australia
Fires in Australia
13 December 2007
Kangaroo Island Bushfires
Off the southern coast of Australia, not far from the city of Adelaide, is Kangaroo Island. Five times the size of Singapore, this island is known for its abundant wildlife. In December 2007, as the Australian summer began, wildfires threatened both the islands wildlife and many of its human inhabitants. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Terra satellite captured this image on 12 December 2007, after the fires had already burned for several days.
TERRA
12 December 2007
In this image, red outlines mark areas where the satellite sensor detected scorching conditions associated with wildfires. One fire, near Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, emits negligible smoke. In Flinders Chase National Park, however, thick smoke from the fires completely obscures the view of the land surface. The thick smoke blows westward over the ocean. Where not hidden by smoke or isolated clouds, the islands surface appears in shades of brown and brownish-green, especially Gantheaume Conservation Park.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, fires along the northern and southern coast of Kangaroo Island had been largely contained by 12 December. In contrast, the bushfires in Flinders Chase National Park had already consumed 11,000 hectares (about 27,000 acres) and continued burning. The weather forecast called for increased winds and warmer temperatures, expected to exacerbate the blaze. Collectively, the fires that burned on Kangaroo Island during the previous week had scorched more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) and claimed at least one human life.
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.
(source: EarthObservatory)
Latest MODIS image
This MODIS satellite image taken at 0440 UTC on December 12 shows fires burning on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
See also the latest news reports from the media:
- Kangaroo Is bushfire fight intensifies (published by news.smh.com.au, 12 December 2007)
- US firefighters battle bushfires (published by www.ndtv.com, 12 December 2007)
- South-east firefighters join Kangaroo Is bushfire fight (published by www.abc.net.au, 11 December 2007)
- Army kept out of SA bushfire fight (published by www.abc.net.au, 10 December 2007)
