Fires in Venezuela and Colombia - related image preview

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Fires in Venezuela and Colombia

In eastern Columbia (left) and northern Venezuela (right), a vast stretch of plains called the Llanos rests at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite detected numerous fires (red dots) scattered across the region, even in wetland areas between two of the Llanos’ majors rivers: the Apure (running from center toward the right of the image) and the Meta (flowing northeast from bottom left).

Where the Meta leaves the Columbia-Venezuela border, it is joined by the Atabapo River and becomes the Orinoco, which flows out to meet the Atlantic. In the high-resolution imagery, dark purplish-brown burn scars are apparent against the green vegetation of the prairies. At bottom right, the grasses of the llanos give way to the upper reaches of the Amazon Rainforest. This image was captured December 12, 2002.


Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published December 13, 2002
Data acquired December 12 - 12, 2002

Source:
Terra > MODIS
Topics:
Agriculture > Forest Science > Forest Fire Science
Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Fire Characteristics
Biosphere > Ecological Dynamics > Fire Occurrence
Biosphere > Vegetation > Reclamation/Revegetation/Restoration
Biosphere > Vegetation > Vegetation Cover
Human Dimensions > Natural Hazards > Fires
Collections:
MODIS Rapid Response
Visible Earth