Earth ID: 4484

Global Fires 2015-2016 Visualizations

Visualizations by Trent L. Schindler Released on August 16, 2016

The 2016 wildfire season is off to a blazing start. To date, more than 29,000 wildfires have burned over 2.6 million acres in the United States alone. In other parts of the world, hot and dry conditions fueled by El Niño have primed places like the southern Amazon for heavy wildfire activity. Scientists say the region is the driest it’s been in more than a decade. Using data collected by satellites, NASA monitors fires across the globe. The space-based views of actively burning fires help fire managers on the ground locate potentially hazardous blazes. The observations also aid researchers in tracking the spread of smoke and ash from fires, which can significantly impact air quality. Watch the video to see a data visualization showing fires detected from space over the course of a year.

These visualizations were created for July 28, 2016 live shots and interviews.

Used Elsewhere In

Visualization Credits

Trent L. Schindler (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC): Visualizer
Claire Saravia (NASA/GSFC): Lead Producer
Matthew R. Radcliff (USRA): Producer
Patrick Lynch (Wyle Information Systems): Producer

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4484

Mission:
Fire and Smoke

Data Used:

also referred to as: Active Fires from MODIS and VIIRS

Data Compilation - NASA and NOAA - March 2015 - March 2016

The active fires data is a combined data product using Terra and Aqua's MODIS data and NOAA's NPP VIIRS 375m data.

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Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details nor the data sets themselves on our site.

Keywords:
SVS >> Earth
SVS >> HDTV
GCMD >> Earth Science >> Human Dimensions >> Natural Hazards >> Fires
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Earth

GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation: Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0