Fires and smoke in Borneo

Haze from fires is thick over the Indonesian island of Borneo. Scores of wildfires (red dots) were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on August 19, 2002. The region has recurring trouble with smoke and pollutants from wildfires, which are often the result of slash-and-burn agriculture. In addition to being a health hazard, the smoke can disrupt air traffic, as it did recently in Malaysia, on the northwest portion of Borneo.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published August 19, 2002
Data acquired August 19 - 19, 2002

Source:

Terra > MODIS

Topic:

Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Fires

Collection:

Visible Earth