Dust and fires across Central Africa

Pale clouds of dust sweep out of the Bodele Depression in this image of central North Africa taken on January 3, 2005, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The lake appears to be little more than a small pool of open water surrounded by green vegetation that contrasts sharply with the surrounding arid terrain. The dust stretches southward into a region of transitional vegetation between the Sahara Desert to the north and the tropical savannas in the bottom of the image. This zone of transition is called the Sahel, and it is very sensitive to desertification created by overgrazing of livestock.

In the Sahel and savannas, scores of fires were burning and have been marked with red dots. The widespread nature of the fires, their location, and the time of year suggest that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.

The countries shown in this image include Niger, top left; Nigeria, lower left; Cameroon, bottom center; Central African Republic, lower right; and Chad, upper right.

Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published January 7, 2005
Data acquired January 6, 2005

Source:

Terra > MODIS