In the central portion of Canada’s Northwest Territories (top), Alberta (bottom left), and Saskatchewan (bottom right), dozens of fires were burning across the summer-green landscape on July 22, 2004. Most of the fires (marked in yellow in the image) are located southeast of Great Slave Lake in the top portion of the image. According to statistics provided by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, both the Northwest Territories and Alberta are having a much more active fire season this year than last. Both provinces have recorded nearly double the number of fires so far in 2004 than they had at this time in 2003. Burned acreage is nearly seven times what it was at this time in summer of 2004. Saskatchewan presents a mixed picture—fewer fires so far in the 2004 season, but about 1.5 times the acreage has burned compared to 2003.
The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center
