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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   September 9, 2022 - Fire Scars in Bolivia   
      
      Burn Scars   
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      Each year, as the Bolivian dry season comes to a close, traditional   
      farmers set small, controlled fires as an agricultural tool. Such fires   
      are used to burn the stubble from spent crops, maintain pastureland,   
      fertilize soil, burn trash, clear brush, and take down forest to create   
      more land that can be used for agriculture. At its best, using fire to   
      manage farmland is effective and inexpensive. At it’s worse, this   
      method has many drawbacks, including air pollution, deforestation, and   
      the risk of managed fires escaping to become devastating wildfires.   
      
      The peak fire season in Bolivia typically starts in mid-August and   
      lasts fifteen weeks, according to Global Forest Watch. They also report   
      that between September 1 and September 8, 2022, there were 2,423   
      high-confidence fire alerts across Bolivia.   
      
      While it is not possible to sort wildfire from agricultural fires from   
      satellite alone, media often describes the presence of wildfire. This   
      year, reports of wildfires in Bolivia began as early as mid-August. On   
      August 18, ABC News (Australia) stated that wildfires had burnt about   
      14 hectares across three different protected areas in the previous   
      week, including the Sucuará Lake protected area, in Santa Cruz   
      department. On September 7, a story published by Reuters and other   
      outlets stated that more than a dozen forest fires had broken out in   
      the lowlands of the country, according to Bolivian authorities. These   
      fires threatened at least four nature reserves in the department of   
      Santa Cruz and the department of Beni. In Beni alone, fires sweeping   
      across four municipalities had destroyed more than 4,500 hectares   
      (11,120 acres) of land. Bolivia’s protected areas are home to   
      indigenous communities, and are extremely biodiverse, supporting   
      jaguars, anteaters, sloth, and an extensive array of birds, reptiles,   
      and plants.   
      
      On September 6, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of   
      extensive burn scars and a pall of smoke across Bolivian lowlands. The   
      image is centered on the department of Beni, Bolivia, with a bit of the   
      department of Santa Cruz visible in the southeastern (lower right)   
      corner.   
      
      In false-color images that use visible and near infrared light (bands   
      7,2,1 on the instrument), vegetation appears bright green, open land   
      appears tan, water ranges from blue to black, and burn scars may appear   
      black, brown, or brick-red. The color variation in burn scars depends   
      on type of vegetation burned, the completeness of the burn, the amount   
      of residue remaining after the burn, and the age of the burn. Fresh   
      burns are most often bright brick red, while older scars lighten and   
      fade as vegetation returns to the burnt area, a process that takes   
      years.   
      
      In this image, dozens of burn scars cover the landscape, ranging in   
      color from bright brick red to pale tan with a flush of light   
      green—evidence of widespread fires over multiple years. At least one   
      plume of blue-gray smoke rises from the edge of a large burn scar and   
      blows to the northeast. This is evidence of an actively burning fire as   
      well as strong wind. Many lakes of various sizes and colors are also   
      visible throughout the region.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 9/6/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (290.1 KB),  500m (665.6 KB),  250m (1.6 MB)   
      Bands Used: 7,2,1   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-09-09   
       
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