Fires in Southern India

Credit: MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Saturday, 15 March 2008, 03:29 CDT Download full size image

This MODIS image of southern and central India was captured on March 8, 2008 by NASA’s Aqua satellite. Across the country, numerous fires are burning, each marked with a red dot. Blue-gray smoke floats around some of the fires. Many of the fires appear to be located in the foothills of the Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges. The Western Ghats run parallel to the west coast of India. The Eastern Ghats are along the eastern coast of India (which borders the Bay of Bengal), but are slightly further inland.

The widespread nature of the fires and the time of year suggests that these fires are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though these fires do not necessarily create an immediate hazard, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.

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