Fires in West Africa Jan. 28, 2014 (IMAGE)
Caption
The location, widespread nature, and number of these fires burning in West Africa suggest that these fires were deliberately set to manage land. Farmers often use fire to return nutrients to the soil and to clear the ground of unwanted plants. While fire helps enhance crops and grasses for pasture, the fires also produce smoke that degrades air quality
This natural-color satellite image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on Jan. 28, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red.
Credit
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption: NASA/Goddard, Lynn Jenner
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