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Fires in
Central and Southern Africa
High-resolution
image (668 Kb)
Fire scars
and smoke plumes result from biomass burning in the savannas of
southern Democratic Republic of Congo. Astronauts aboard the International
Space Station observed the seasonal increase in savanna burning,
which traditionally peaks in June in southern Democratic Republic
of Congo.
This image,
taken on May 16, 2002, is centered near 8.6 degrees south longitude
and 27.4 degrees east latitude. These fires, likely the result of
human activities, are thought to contribute significant emissions
to the atmosphere. The darker area in the foreground is a more heavily
wooded hillside. Most burning occurs in the grassier savannas, which
appear red-brown.
Astronaut photograph
ISS004-E-11958
was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory
at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway
to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
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