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Fires in Eastern China and Russia

fires in Eastern China and Russia
Fires have cropped up in eastern China and on into eastern parts of Russia as well

Fires have cropped up in eastern China and on into eastern parts of Russia as well. They may be agricultural in nature, which is usually the case where numerous fires are found across a landscape, but that is unconfirmed. NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on October 24, 2016. The Suomi NPP instruments recognized temperatures higher than background and these areas are outlined in red. When accompanied by smoke, as they are in this image, these hot spots are indicative of fire. The VIIRS instrument is a 22-band radiometer which collects infrared and visible light data to observe weather, climate, oceans, nightlight, wildfires, movement of ice, and changes in vegetation and landforms. Suomi NPP is the first Earth-observing satellite to measure both global climate changes and key weather variables.

Suomi NPP is managed by NASA, NOAA and the U.S. Department of Defense. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner