In eastern Africa, numerous fires were burning in Mozambique and Zambia on May 8, 2005. The fires (marked in red) are located in the plains between the Luangwa River in Zambia and the Zambezi River in Mozambique. In this corner of Mozambique, the Zambezi fills a long, thin reservoir behind the Cahora Bassa Dam. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite.
The widespread nature of the fires, their location, and the time of year suggest these are agricultural fires being used to clear or renew pasture or farmland. While they are not necessarily immediately hazardous, such fires can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC
