May 19, 2004
Hundreds, probably thousands of fires were burning across central Africa west of Lake Tanganyika (image right) on May 19, 2004, filling the skies over Democratic Republic of Congo, which covers most of the area west of Lake Tanganyika, with a shroud of smoke.This image of the region was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite.
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.
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Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
