The biomass burning is continuing in Indochina and not slowing down. The Suomi NPP satellite captured this natural-color image on March 14, 2017 of the ongoing agricultural blazes and they look very similar in number and location as the fires captured by Suomi NPP in February. This type of agricultural land clearing is very usual in this part of the world. Farmers set fires to clear fields for spring planting in the area are seen as red dots in this image. Each dot represents an area which has a higher temperature than the surrounding area and is usually indicative of fire. The fires return nutrients to the soil and clear the ground of unwanted plants and undergrowth. The Suomi NPP satellite’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument captured a look at the numerous fires and residual smoke in this image. The Suomi NPP satellite is a joint mission between NASA and NOAA.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner