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Agricultural Fires Continue in China

Fires in china
The VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image which again detected hundreds of fires burning in Eastern China on November 02, 2015.

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA’s Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image which again detected hundreds of fires burning in Eastern China on November 02, 2015. These same fires which were captured by VIIRS on October 25 continue to burn in Eastern China. These fires were most likely set to manage agricultural land. China uses biomass burning in agricultural use more than most other countries. Farmers often use fire to return nutrients to the soil and to clear the ground of unwanted plants. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality.

VIIRS image from October 25, 2015

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner