Fires and Smoke in Eastern Russia

Fires and Smoke in Eastern Russia

Even as the vegetation of the Amur River region fades to golden brown and taiga forests to the north show signs of winter's arrival, numerous fires (red dots) have been detected in the agricultural lands at the border of Russia (north) and China (south). Heavy smoke drifts far to the south in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from October 8, 2002. Perhaps the farmers are preparing the fields for a late season crop.

Fires have persisted in this region throughout the fall. Previous images in this series are centered eastward of this one.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC