Several large fires in northeastern Russia are billowing massive smoke clouds over the East Siberia Sea. This Aqua MODIS image shows the region on September 16, 2003. Active fire detections made by the sensor are highlighted in yellow in the bottom center of the image. In Siberia, the soil is made of thick layers of peat—dead organic material that is slow to decay in the frigid temperatures. When this material catches fire, it produces huge amounts of smoke.
Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
