Fires on Sumatra

Scores of fires were smoking across Sumatra (center) on June 8, 2003, trailing smoke across the Strait of Malacca, which separates Sumatra from Malaysia to the north, and also over the the Indian Ocean (bottom left). These images of active fire locations (red dots) were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors on the Terra and Aqua satellites. Notice how the afternoon overpass (Aqua) reveals far more fires. This increase in fire activity over the course of the day is referred to as a diurnal fire cycle.

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Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published June 12, 2003
Data acquired June 8 - 8, 2003

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

Topic:

Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Fires

Collections:

MODIS Rapid Response

Visible Earth