On June 27, 2013, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of smoke plumes hovering over Spain and the western Mediterranean Sea. The smoke has a faintly yellow-tan or milky gray color compared with brighter white clouds. Open the larger image to see how the smoke extends over the open water.
Data from NASA and other satellites suggests that the smoke originated from wildfires in Canada; it is less likely, but possible, that it came from wildfires in Colorado and other parts of the southwestern United States.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Mike Carlowicz.
