Fires in Central America

Fires and Thick Haze in Central China

31 May 2007

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Thick haze hung over central China on 29 May 2007, when the ModerateResolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite passed overheadand captured this image.

Terra
29 May 2007

The haze is so thick that little of the landscape below is visible. Theforested Dabie Mountains, an important source of bamboo in the country, standout from the gray haze and the olive-colored plains to the north. Places whereMODIS detected actively burning fires, probably agricultural fires, are markedin red. Smoke form the fires is the most likely culprit for the widespread haze;however, several large cities occupy the region as well. Urban pollution fromcities such as Nanjing (more than 6 million residents) and Wuxi (more than 1million residents) may also be a factor in the poor air quality.

The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of250 meters per pixel.

(source: EarthObservatory)

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