In Cambodia, the dry season of the monsoon generally spans the months of November through April. During that time, people ignite a host of agricultural and accidental fires across the country. The causes of the fires vary, from fires set to burn pasture lands in anticipation of new growth from summer rains, to clearing of forests through slash-and-burn agriculture. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on January 26, 2007, shows scores of fires (marked in red) burning across Southeast Asia, primarily in the central plain surrounding Cambodia’s Tonle Sap. Although these fires are not necessarily immediately hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.
The large image provided above has a spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images of the region in additional resolutions.
References & Resources
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center
