MSGID: 1:317/3 62b5fbd0   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   June 24, 2022 - Thousands of Fires in Central Africa   
      
      Fires in DRC, Angola and Zambia   
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      Many thousands of fires burned across Central Africa in late June 2022.   
      The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board   
      NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image showing the   
      landscape of Democratic Republic of Congo (north), Angola (southwest),   
      and Zambia (southeast) speckled with red hot spots. A gray pall,   
      created by airborne smoke, covers most of the region and is heaviest in   
      the northeast.   
      
      These hot spots mark areas where the thermal bands on the MODIS   
      instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical   
      smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively   
      burning fire.   
      
      While it is not possible to know the cause of a fire from a satellite   
      image, the widespread nature, location, and time of year makes it   
      likely that these fires are agricultural. Fire is an integral part of   
      traditional agricultural practices used in many parts of the world,   
      including Central Africa. Farmers use fire to clear land for new   
      cropland or pasture, to freshen existing pasture, and to burn debris   
      from cropland to prepare for new planting. This practice is both   
      inexpensive and low tech, making it available to small farmers.   
      Unfortunately, fire generates smoke which can be hazardous to the   
      health of humans and animals. Agricultural fires also can escape   
      containment and become wildfires, which can consume vast amounts of   
      acreage.   
      
      The peak fire season in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and   
      Zambia, the peak fire season typically begins in early June and lasts   
      around 15 weeks.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 6/22/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (191.2 KB),  500m (685.3 KB),  250m (2.3 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-24   
       
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