December 26, 2019 - Fires in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire

Hundreds of fires were burning in Ghana and the Côte d'Ivoire on December 23, 2019, when NASA’s Aqua satellite passed overhead. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board that satellite acquired a true-color image of the fire and smoke on that same day.

Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke, as in this image, the hot spots mark actively burning fires. The widespread nature of the fires, their location, and the time of year all 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.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/23/2019
Resolutions: 1km (56 KB), 500m (190.8 KB), 250m (629.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC