Fires in Mexico and Central America

Scores of fires were burning in Mexico and Central America on April 16, 2003. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite shows part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and northern Guatemala where an especially high number of fires were detected (marked in red). The high-resolution scene shows fires stretching northward into Mexico and southward into numerous Central American countries. Smoke plumes are drifting out overt the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest. Beneath the smoke, the colorful swirls in the water may be a mixture of sediment and marine plant life known as phytoplankton.

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Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published April 17, 2003
Data acquired April 16 - 16, 2003

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

Topics:

Biosphere > Microbiota > Phytoplankton

Biosphere > Vegetation > Biomass

Biosphere > Vegetation > Phytoplankton

Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Fires

Collection:

MODIS Rapid Response