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Two
NASA Satellites See the Western Wildfires Two Different Ways Terra's
MODIS Image Flying
on board NASA's Terra satellite, the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) provides daily global coverage of wild fires such as these fires, indicated
with red outlines, in California. MODIS detects such a wide range of electromagnetic
energy that it can detect the heat from fires as well as make a true-color image
of the area, as in this image made from data collected on Wednesday, August 29,
2001. The image takes in the forest-covered Coastal Mountain ranges as well as
the Sierra Nevada range along the California-Nevada border. To the southeast,
the mountains give way to Death Valley and the Mojave Desert at the lower right. MODIS's
thermal detectors are so sensitive that they can locate fires even through a thick
shroud of smoke, like that being emitted by the 9500-acre Star Fire, burning west
of Lake Tahoe in the center of the image. The Star Fire, which is burning in the
El Dorado and Tahoe National Forests, started on the morning of August 25, and
has resulted in numerous road and area closures as well as public health advisories
due to deteriorating air quality. According to U.S. Forest Service reports, the
cause of the fire-still only about 12% contained-is under investigation. Northwest
across the Sacramento Valley, whose irrigated lands are bordered by a browner,
more arid perimeter, about 1000 residents of the town of Weaverville were forced
to evacuate early on Wednesday, August 29, due to 1680-acre Oregon Fire, located
in the upper left of the image. Residents were allowed to return that evening,
but at least nine homes had been destroyed in the blaze, which is currently about
65% contained. Southeast
of the Star Fire, in Yosemite National Park, several lightning-caused fires totaling
almost 7000 acres and known as the Hoover Complex, are being allowed to burn in
an effort to return wildland fire to its natural role in Yosemite, according to
park reports from August 29.
SeaWiFS
Image This
is the SeaWiFS view of the smoke from fires burning in the western United States
from August 29, 2001. The most prominent smoke clouds are in western Montana,
central Idaho, and California west of Lake Tahoe. Smoke from the Weaverville fire
is also visible, but it is not as pronounced at the SeaWiFS resolution. Credit
line for this image: Provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight
Center, and ORBIMAGE
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