On May 1, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image along with numerous fire detections (marked in yellow) across southern Mexico. Dozens of fires are scattered across the states of Jalisco (roughly upper left quadrant of image), Michoacan (center and right), and Guerrero (bottom right). At the right edge, fires were detected just north of Mexico City.
The widespread nature of the fires and the time of year suggest that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.
The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at
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Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
