Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired November 9, 2004 540 x 334 JPEG
Data acquired November 9, 2004 1920 x 1440 974 KB - JPEG
Across the Deep South, numerous fires were detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on November 9, 2004. The fires, marked in red, are spread across numerous states in the region, and may be seasonal agricultural burning. Late fall is the season for sugar cane burning in the area, when growers set fire to the cane fields to burn away the green leafy parts of the vegetation, allowing the sugar-containing stalk to be more easily harvested. The practice is cost-effective, but it does cause air pollution, and the Environmental Protection Agency is working with growers to develop burning practices that minimize exposure of downwind residents to harmful smoke.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
Published November 10, 2004 Data acquired November 9, 2004