Widespread biomass burning in northern South America that began in late 2002 has continued into the new year. This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the Terra satellite on January 4, 2003, shows active fire detections (red dots) in Columbia (left) and Venezuela (right).
Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Biomass burning has been particularly intense in northern South America in recent months. This new MOPITT image shows concentrations over the region as recent as March 18, 2003.