Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired July 11 - 11, 2002 1450 x 1100 254 KB Bytes - JPEG
Data acquired July 11 - 11, 2002 2900 x 2200 907 KB Bytes - JPEG
Data acquired July 11 - 11, 2002 5800 x 4400 3 MB Bytes - JPEG
Smoke (grayish swath in western half of image) from wildfires in Saskatchewan, Canada, has crossed the Atlantic Ocean, passed over Svalbard (top center) and arrived over the shores of Norway (bottom center) on July 11, 2002. Although fires were also burning in Québec, Canada, around the same time (which would seem to be the more likely source of the plume because it is closer) visual inspection of additional MODIS imagery over a span of several days shows that the plume most likely originated with the fires in Saskatchewan.
The brighter, turquoise swirls in the otherwise dark waters of the Barents Sea at bottom right indicate the presence of a large phytoplankton bloom. These microscopic marine plants contain chlorophyll and other pigments that are very reflective, and produce colorful patterns in the water. This true-color scene was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, flying aboard NASA’s Terra satellite.
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Published July 20, 2002 Data acquired July 11 - 11, 2002