The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite captured this image of scores of fires burning across the southern Russia-northern Kazakhstan steppes on October 14, 2003. The fires are probably agricultural in purpose, perhaps burning crop stubble to prepare for a planting of winter grains. A large smoke plume stretches across the scene, and fires are marked with red dots. The dark green patches at right are wetlands located southwest of the Ob’ River.
Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
