Oil and Sulfur Smoke in Iraq

Oil and Sulfur Smoke in Iraq

On July 14, 2003, a fire at an industrial sulfur plant in northern Iraq continued to burn through the sulfur stored at the facility. This image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on the Terra satellite captured the thermal signature from the actively burning parts of the fire, which appear hot pink, as well as the plume of sulfur dioxide, which appears blue. The large river flowing north-south through the scene is the Tigris River, with the Great Zab River flowing in from upper right.

Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from Elsa Abbott and the ASTER Science Team.