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NASA Visualizes Millions of Earth's Fires

By - Source: Tom's Guide US

NASA has released several videos that provide insight into the locations of fires taking place around the globe.

According to NASA, tens of millions of fires have been recorded between July 2002 and July 2011 and the new visualization reveals how fires relate to seasonal changes.

"What you see here is a very good representation of the satellite data scientists use to understand the global distribution of fires and to determine where and how fire distribution is responding to climate change and population growth," said Chris Justice of the University of Maryland, College Park, a scientist who leads NASA's effort to use MODIS data to study the world's fires.

The data suggests that only 2 percent of the world's area is burned in North America every year. For example, the released animation shows the forest fires in the West, agricultural fires in the Southeast and the recent wildfires in Texas. NASA found that 70 percent of the fires in the world take place in Africa. A substantial number of fires in Africa are savanna fires in Central Africa that are caused by agricultural activity as well as lightning strikes.

The videos of the world's fires can be seen on NASA's website.

There are 10 Comments. B
Other Comments
  • 4 Ð
    alyoshka , October 21, 2011 6:44 PM
    Another good use of the Sats out there.
  • 1 Ð
    nebun , October 21, 2011 7:16 PM
    they are so wrong...every man has a fire in their pants....
  • 0 Ð
    anonymous@guest , October 21, 2011 10:17 PM
    If 2% of the worlds land area in burned in North America every year, we are hurting for certain.
  • 0 Ð
    Kami3k , October 22, 2011 12:51 AM
    pessmeNice idea actually, I know some people don't like paying in blocks of £5 when buying content that costs less than that. thanks.


    WTF?!
  • -1 Ð
    amk-aka-Phantom , October 22, 2011 1:34 AM
    Kami3kWTF?!


    Spam bot. Ignore it.
  • -3 Ð
    Grizely1 , October 22, 2011 3:57 AM
    And my car is killing the environment. Riiiight
  • 1 Ð
    SteelCity1981 , October 22, 2011 11:07 AM
    Damn africa lights up like a match stick during it's seasonal grassland fires.
  • 1 Ð
    dark_knight33 , October 22, 2011 11:48 AM
    Grizely1And my car is killing the environment. Riiiight



    Yes, but I don't mind your attitude. Please, drive more, preferably into a guardrail or Jersey wall. Hopefully you won't have passed on your defective genes at that point, and in a generation, faulty attitudes like yours will be considered as ridiculous as the "smoking isn't unhealthy" attitude of last century.
  • -1 Ð
    Wish I Was Wealthy , October 22, 2011 9:54 PM
    Some thing different to see & read.
  • 0 Ð
    eddieroolz , October 25, 2011 8:43 AM
    An excellent use of technology.
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