Suomi NPP captured this image of fires “taking over” much of the landscape in the Northern Territory and Western Australia areas of Australia. The fires are actually a mix of bushfires and prescribed (or strategic) fires. Prescribed fires are fires that are deliberately set by fire officials for a whole host of reasons. There are ecosystems that actually require fires for further growth. After many years of fire exclusion, an ecosystem that needs periodic fire becomes unhealthy. Trees become stressed by overcrowding; fire-dependent species disappear; and flammable fuels build up and become hazardous. The right fire at the right place at the right time can:
- Reduce hazardous fuels, protecting human communities from extreme fires;
- Minimize the spread of pest insects and disease;
- Remove unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem;
- Provide forage for game;
- Improve habitat for threatened and endangered species;
- Recycle nutrients back to the soil; and
- Promote the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants;
Both fires set deliberately and even some wildfires that are left to burn out naturally benefit natural resources and reduce the risk of unwanted wildfires in the future. Fire officials also use hand tools and machines to thin overgrown sites in preparation for the eventual return of fire.
NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite collected this natural-color image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on May 11, 2017. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS’s thermal bands, are outlined in red. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner
Suomi NPP is managed by NASA and NOAA.