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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 18, 2022 - The Mosquito Fire's Massive Burn Scar   
      
      Mosquito Fire scar   
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      In an active wildfire season, California’s Mosquito Fire has been one   
      of the most active blazes, becoming the largest wildfire in that state   
      this year on September 14, 2022, when the area burned topped 63,000   
      acres. Since that time, the fire has continued to expand, rapidly   
      consuming critically dry timber, brush, and grass in El Dorado and   
      Placer counties, in between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. It has also   
      consumed at least 78 structures with thousands more threatened.   
      
      The Mosquito Fire was reported on the evening of September 6 about 4   
      miles east of Foresthill and north of Oxbow Reservoir. As of September   
      17, the fire has burned 71,292 acres and, with 3,453 total personnel   
      working the blaze, has been 21 percent contained. The planned actions   
      continue to be to provide structure defense and point protection for   
      values at risk, protect private timberlands, scout for opportunities to   
      construct containment lines, perform firing operations where   
      appropriate, and construct direct and indirect line as conditions and   
      opportunities allow. The cause of this ferocious blaze is under   
      investigation.   
      
      Today, the Image of the Day compares two false-color images acquired of   
      the same area by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite. The upper image was acquired   
      on September 15, the day after the Mosquito Fire became the largest   
      California wildfire of 2022, and the lower image was acquired on August   
      14, 2022, before the blaze had sprung to life.   
      
      In false-color images that use visible and near infrared light (MODIS   
      bands 7,2,1), vegetation appears bright green, open land appears tan,   
      water ranges from blue to black, smoke typically appears light blue,   
      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 the September 15 image, a massive burn scar is easily visualized,   
      most of it brick red. Several actively burning areas show up as orange   
      spots, and abundant smoke pours from the active fire “hot spots”. A   
      small tan area to the northwest of the Mosquito Fire appears to be a   
      burn scar from previous years, and a larger area to the southeast may   
      also be an older burn scar, which is filing in with vegetation to give   
      it a light tan appearance. The southeastern front of the Mosquito Fire   
      appears to be traveling towards that area. If the fire actually reaches   
      a burn scar, progress should be slowed in that area because fuel   
      (vegetation) should be minimal.   
      
      In the August 14 image, the previous burn scars are visible. But the   
      area of the Mosquito fire appears uniformly bright green, with copious   
      vegetation.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 9/15/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (48 KB),  500m (104.9 KB),  250m (50.3 KB)   
      Bands Used: 7,2,1   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-09-18   
       
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