NASA is lending a hand to those battling recent California wildfires with detailed imaging of the blazes from NASA’s Aqua satellite.
"The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images of Northern and Southern California in additional resolutions and formats, including an infrared-enhanced version that highlights the presence of burned ground," said NASA's Earth Observatory team.
With a particularly dry spring continuing to plague the state, a staggering 364,600 acres, or nearly 570 square miles of the state have been left charred.
"The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) Rapid Response Team provides twice-daily images of Northern and Southern California in additional resolutions and formats, including an infrared-enhanced version that highlights the presence of burned ground," said NASA's Earth Observatory team.
With a particularly dry spring continuing to plague the state, a staggering 364,600 acres, or nearly 570 square miles of the state have been left charred.
"Places where the sensor detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. Smoke spreads north up the coast. The two fires pictured are among the largest of scores of fires burning in the state," NASA officials explained of the images.
This imaging is not only sheding new light on the damage from the fires of 2008, but giving hope to those battling the flames. By lending a broader perspective and sharing this valuable tool, NASA is helping firefighters to more easily predict, plan, and end the devistation of one of mother nature's most dangerous forces.
Image and information courtesy of www.nasa.gov
