MSGID: 1:317/3 647e22cc   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   June 5, 2023 - Burn Scars in Northwestern Canada   
      
      [image06052023_main.jpg] [image06052023_rollover.jpg]   
      
      June 1, 2023 May 20, 2022   
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      Wildfires are a natural part of the ecosystem of northern Canada, and   
      play an important role in renewing forests and keeping them healthy.   
      Fire season, even in a typical year, can also bring threats to   
      infrastructure, community safety, and human health.   
      
      Each year—usually sometime in May—a few fires begin to ignite as   
      warming temperatures melt winter’s snow and expose dry vegetation,   
      especially in the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia which sit   
      in the dry rain shadow of the Canadian Rockies. The 2023 fire season   
      started early and has already proven exceptionally ferocious, with more   
      than 100 wildland fires active across Western Canada as of May 6.   
      Throughout May, smoke from those fires have darkened the skies not only   
      of Canada and parts of the United States, but also crossed the Atlantic   
      Ocean to reach Denmark and beyond.   
      
      While Alberta and British Columbia have suffered the highest number of   
      fires, Northwest Territories has also been scorched. According to a   
      Northwest Territories government Wildfire Update, as of May 29 there   
      had been 17 fires with a total of 18,365 hectares burned. The 10-year   
      average for this time is three fires and 17 hectares burned.   
      
      On June 1, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image   
      centered on Northwest Territories. At the bottom of the image a portion   
      of British Columbia (west) and Alberta (east) are also visible.   
      Clicking on the dates below will allow the viewer to toggle between the   
      June 1 image and a second Terra MODIS false-color image acquired just   
      over a year earlier, on May 20, 2022, in a more typical fire season.   
      
      The false-color images use a combination of visible and infrared light   
      (MODIS bands 7, 2, 1). This view makes it easier to distinguish burn   
      scars (brown or brick red) on the landscape. Hotspots associated with   
      active fire fronts are bright red-orange, and vegetation is green.   
      Water appears inky-blue, ice appears electric blue, clouds are usually   
      white but high, cold clouds that contain ice crystals may be tinted   
      light blue. Smoke may appear gray or blue-gray. Landmarks of note are   
      the dual-pronged Trout Lake (Sambaa K’e) in the northwestern section,   
      the tear-drop-shaped Tathlina Lake to the east, and the Mackenzie River   
      that stretches across the upper section of the image.   
      
      On June 1, 2023, about a dozen brick-red burn scars are scattered   
      across the region, including burn scars with hotspots both north and   
      south of Trout Lake, indicating these fires have active fronts. Each of   
      these two fires appear to be larger in size than the lake. Trout Lake   
      measures 103 kilometers (64 mi) long and 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) wide   
      and covers an area of about 513 square kilometers (198 sq mi).   
      
      The image from May 20, 2022, shows a very different scene, with only   
      one small dark area that could be a burn scar visible near the center   
      of the image. Ice covers the northern lakes and part of the Mackenzie   
      River, evidence of much cooler temperatures than on June 1, 2023.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 6/1/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (796.9 KB),  500m (1.9 MB),  250m (1.1 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=2023-06-05   
       
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