The west-central Africa fire season is currently underway, and widespread biomass burning (red dots) is apparent in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Aqua satellite captured on January 3, 2003. Countries pictured are (clockwise from top left) Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and the Gambia.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC