Fires in Mexico and Central America

Fires in Mexico and Central America

For nearly three months, fires have been burning across southern Mexico and Central America, releasing waves of smoke that spread over the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. This recent image of the region shows numerous fires marked with red dots beneath a veil of smoke that spans the entire scene. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on May 21, 2003.

Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC