Suggested Searches

2 min read

Agricultural Fires Seen in October Continue in China

agricultural fires in China
The fires that were seen on October 30, 2017 in the Heilongjiang Province in China are continuing in this image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on November 05, 2017.

The fires that were seen on October 30, 2017 in the Heilongjiang Province in China are continuing in this image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite on November 05, 2017. This image actually shows that the fires have expanded beyond the areas that were on fire in late October. There are dozens more fires seen in this image than were seen in the October image.

Actively burning areas, detected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite are outlined in red. When they are accompanied by smoke, as in this image, they are indicative of fire. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality. The smoke released by any type of fire (forest, brush, crop, structure, tires, waste or wood burning) is a mixture of particles and chemicals produced by incomplete burning of carbon-containing materials. All smoke contains carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and particulate matter or soot and is hazardous to breathe. The very young and very old are most vulnerable to the particulates in air and to the pollution. Those with respiratory conditions should avoid the smoke from the fires.

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