Between May 3-8, 2003, carbon monoxide filled the skies over southern Russia (top), Mongolia (below left), and China (below right). This image shows measurements of carbon monoxide captured by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on the Terra satellite, with values ranging from zero (dark blue) to 360 parts per billion (red). The carbon monoxide was coming from hundreds of fires burning in the region at the start of the farming season. Smoke plumes from these fires spread far out over the Pacific Ocean to the east.
Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MOPITT Team
