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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   May 1, 2023 - Wildfire and Dust at Lake Balkhash   
      
      Fire at Lake Balkhash   
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      On April 27, 2023, strong winds blew two long plumes—one of smoke and   
      the second, dust— westward across southeast Kazakhstan. The Moderate   
      Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra   
      satellite acquired a true-color image of plumes across Lake Balkhash on   
      that same day.   
      
      Crescent-shaped Lake Balkhash spans about 17,000 square kilometers   
      (6,600 square miles), making it one of Asia’s largest lakes. The lake’s   
      waters are often filled with milky-tinted swirls, primarily due to   
      suspended sediment, either stirred up from the shallow bottom by wind   
      and waves or poured into Balkhash from the rivers that feed it. The Ili   
      River, which enters along the southwestern shoreline, brings about 70   
      to 80 percent of fresh water into the lake and creates a large, fertile   
      delta.   
      
      The Ili River Delta appears dark in this image, and is spotted with a   
      few red marks. These red spots, called “hot spots”, are located where   
      the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures.   
      In this location at this type of the year, they are likely due to   
      actively burning fire, mostly likely set to clear land ahead of   
      planting crops or to freshen pasture. The Ili River Delta is a rich   
      agricultural area where fire is often used to manage land, especially   
      in the springtime.   
      
      A cluster of large hot spots sits on the south-central shoreline, and   
      is the source of the large smoke plume that stretches across the lake.   
      According to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS),   
      this is a forest fire. First reported on April 17, the fire spanned   
      22,271 hectares as of April 30.   
      
      The most southerly long, light-colored plume rises from a   
      mineral-encrusted, dry portion of the lake bed at the tip of Lake   
      Balkhash. It almost certainly contains dried minerals, especially salt,   
      along with fine dust.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 4/27/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (22 KB),  500m (75.1 KB),  250m (234.5 KB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-05-01   
       
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