MSGID: 1:317/3 6362b04b   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   November 2, 2022 - Fires, Cloud Wakes, and Blooms Mark Springtime in Chile   
      
      chile   
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      Wildfires, cloud wakes, and a widespread phytoplankton bloom created a   
      complicated mosaic of natural phenomena in and around central Chile in   
      the closing days of October 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging   
      Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a   
      true-color image capturing all three features on October 31.   
      
      Multiple red “hot spots” speckle Chile’s Central Valley, which sits   
      west of the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains. Each hot spot   
      marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected   
      high temperatures. When accompanied by typical smoke, as in this image,   
      such hot spots are diagnostic for active fires. The largest fire, the   
      Lomillas Altas, was burning on 54.1 hectares in the Maule Region and   
      was pumping heavy smoke into the atmosphere. Strong winds carried the   
      gray plume past the coast and over the Pacific Ocean.   
      
      Northwest of the fires and far out over the ocean, two long cloud-free   
      streaks cut across a bank of thin cloud. Each of these “cloud wakes”   
      appear on the lee side of two volcanic islands. Isla Alejandro Selkirk   
      and Isla Robinson Crusoe are both volcanic islands arising from an   
      east-west submarine ridge. Poking up from the ocean surface, the   
      islands create obstacles to air movement, such that wind blowing over   
      each island creates a giant wedge shape of cloud-free air, with the   
      island at the base.   
      
      Sandwiched between cloud wakes and smoke plumes, jewel-toned swirls   
      color the Pacific Ocean. The color is created by large masses of   
      floating phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like organisms that   
      live in these waters in small numbers year-round. When conditions are   
      just right (adequate light, warm water temperatures, and plentiful   
      nutrition), phytoplankton can reproduce explosively to create massive   
      blooms that are easily viewed from space.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 10/31/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (482.2 KB),  500m (1.6 MB),  250m (4.7 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=2022-11-02   
       
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