Clear skies over a large portion of the North American West reveal smoke from forest fires burning in the region. This true-color Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image centered on Montana and Wyoming shows active fires burning in several states.
In Montana, the Fridley Fire in Gallatin National Forest, whichwas started by lightning on August 19, continues to burn. The NationalInteragency Fire Center reports that the fire is estimated to haveconsumed about 24,000 acres as of August 27, and is only 15 percentcontained. MODIS also detected fire north of Flathead Lake innorthwestern Montana, as well as fires in central and southeasternIdaho.
Along the border between Idaho and Montana, in the dark green forests of the Sawtoothand Bitteroot mountain ranges, brown-colored burn scars reveal the location oflast year’s extensive fires.
Yellowstone National Park in thefar northwest corner of Wyoming is also fighting wildfires. According to National Park Service reports, the Sulphur Fire, located north of Yellowstone Lake, wasstarted by lightning, and had burned about 250 acres as of August 26, 2001. To the southof the lake is the larger Falcon Fire, which had burned 2,340 acres as ofAugust 26, with at least 670 of those acres within park boundaries, includingsome land that was previously burned in the extensive Yellowstone firesin 1988.
The large imageshows many of the significant geological, hydrological andecological features of the region. At the bottom center ofthe image is Utah’s Great Salt Lake, with the Salt Lake Desert to thewest. Irrigated land in the Snake River Plain makes a speckled greencrescent across the southern part of Idaho. Against the paler soils of the Plain, ancient lava flows stand out in dark brown. In the upper left, the blueribbon of the Columbia River meanders through northeastern Washington.Running through the image’s center are the ranges that make up theNorthern Rocky Mountains, whose extreme remoteness and ruggedness gaverise to place names such as Central Idaho’s “River of No ReturnWilderness.”
MODIS flies aboard NASA's Terra satellite, launched December 18, 1999.References & Resources
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
