Fires in Central and Southern India (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Fires in Central and Southern India

Caption

Vegetation fires in India are commonplace. Farmers use the method of "slash and burn" agriculture (setting fires) to rid the overgrown fields of grass and detritus from the last growing season in order to ready the land for a new growing season. This is a practice that has been going on for centuries in this part of the world. The area uses this type of field clearing starting in October and going through June with the peak coming in March. The Suomi NPP satellite captured this natural-color image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument onboard of the fires across India on March 2, 2018. Actively burning areas, detected by VIIRS, are outlined in red. Suomi NPP is managed by NASA and NOAA.

Credit

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team, GSFC. Caption by Lynn Jenner

Usage Restrictions

None

License

Licensed content

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.