Abundant rainfall during the wet season in northern Australia waters the tropical savannas, where grasses can grow as high as three meters (more than 9 feet). During the dry season (Southern Hemisphere winter), these grasses become extremely flammable, and they fuel enormous bushfires. Fires are triggered by lightning and by people. This photo-like image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 17, 2008, shows numerous large fires in Arnhem Land in Northern Territory, Australia. Places where the sensor detected fire are marked in red.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.
