September 8th, 2010 Category: Fires, Rivers, Sediments

Brazil - September 5th, 2010

Part of the mouth of the Amazon River, in northern Brazil, is visible at the right edge of this image. The river is releasing a heavy load of sediments, appearing brown in the center where they are most dense, then progressively becoming lighter in color as they mix with the ocean waters.

Moving inland from the mouth, the Amazon River itself can be seen crossing the lower part of the image. Also visible towards the bottom is some smoke from fires burning in Bolivia that is blowing over Brazil.

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September 7th, 2010 Category: Fires

Brazil - September 5th, 2010

Smoke from fires burning in Bolivia continues to blow over neighboring countries. Here, parts of Brazil, mainly in the state of Mato Grosso, are veiled by clouds of smoke.

A state of emergency was declared in Bolivia due to these quickly spreading forest fires. Over 25,000 fires have been registered across the country, hitting mostly Bolivia’s Amazon and eastern regions.

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September 1st, 2010 Category: Climate Change, Fires, Rivers

Brazil - August 4th, 2010

Many areas of deforestation can be observed in this image of the Brazilian states of Amazonas (upper left), Rondônia (lower left), Mato Grosso (lower right) and Pará (upper right). These areas appear to be located near roads and settlements.

The image is crossed by several tan lines. The thicker, curved lines are rivers such as the Manicoré River in Amazonas, in north-western Brazil (upper left). The straight lines are roads, such as Route 230, running diagonally southwest to northeast, south of the river, and Route 16e, running diagonally northwest to southeast, through the town of Novo Progresso.

While some thick clouds are present near the top, the rest of the image is slightly covered by a thin veil of smoke. Upon opening the full image, several fires, probably agriculture-related, can be seen in the lower left quadrant.

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August 30th, 2010 Category: Fires, Image of the day

Smoke from Fires in Bolivia - August 27th, 2010

The left side of this image appears hazy due to smoke from fires burning in Bolivia that has spread over southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Also visible to the right is the Paraná River in Brazil.

The fires were started by farmers clearing land so they can plant their crops. Livestock herders also typically clear brush and trees from land by burning foliage. This week, the environment and water ministry asked the farmers and herders to stop the yearly practice.

Upon opening the full image, the smoke can be seen extending far north into Brazil. Also visible in the full version are two areas of wave clouds, parallel rows of clouds formed by atmospheric internal waves.

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August 29th, 2010 Category: Fires

Smoke from Fires in Bolivia - August 26th, 2010

The skies over huge expanses of land in South America continue to be choked by smoke from fires blazing in Bolivia. The thumbnail image focuses on the smoke over Bolivia, east of the Salar de Uyuni, the large white salt flat at the lower left edge), and the Andes Mountains.

Upon opening the full image, the cloud of smoke can be seen reaching from Manáus, Brazil, in the North, to near the salt flats of the Salinas Grandes and the green saline lake called Mar Chiquita, in Argentina, in the South.

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August 28th, 2010 Category: Fires, Image of the day, Lakes, Mountains, Salt Flats

Smoke from Fires in Bolivia - August 25th, 2010

Fires in Bolivia have burned more than 3.7 milion acres (1.5 million hectares) in the past few weeks and are advancing “dangerously” in four of the nation’s nine states, reported the government’s news service.

A state of emergency has been declared in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz state, one of four states in the nation battling wildfires. In addition to Santa Cruz, the fires are burning large segments of Pando, Beni and La Paz states. The flames are fanned by high wind gusts and arid conditions caused by drought, officials said.

The thumbnail image focuses on the area near the border between Peru (below) and Bolivia (above). The Andes Mountains are preventing the smoke from spreading further south into Peru. Clearly visible south of the mountains are Lake Titicaca and the Salar de Uyuni. The full extent of the veil of smoke can be seen upon opening the full image, reaching northward all the way to Manáus, Brazil.

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August 27th, 2010 Category: Fires, Rivers

Smoke from Fires in Bolivia - August 24th, 2010

Smoke from fires raging in Bolivia spreads over southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Here, a wide segment of the Paraná River in Brazil can be seen near the cloud of smoke, which crosses the image from the north to the southeast.

The Brazilian government has admitted that it cannot fight the fires adequately because of a lack of water-bombing aircraft, and has requested help from neighbouring Brazil and Argentina.

A Bolivian government official reported that many villages and small towns were at risk from the fires, as well as parks. Many people have been trying to tackle the fires with buckets of water.

Most of the fires were started for agricultural purposes: indigenous people and small farmers in the Amazon region have traditionally burnt large tracts of land to increase areas of cultivation. This year, however, insufficient rainfall and strong winds have made the fires very difficult to keep under control. As forecasts do not indicate rain in the next few days, these problems are expected to continue.

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August 26th, 2010 Category: Fires, Image of the day

Smoke from Fires in Bolivia - August 24th, 2010

Smoke from fires in Bolivia hangs in the air near the Brazil-Bolivia border and drifts across, over the skies of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. A state of emergency has been declared in Bolivia as forest fires spread across the country.

The worst of the destruction has taken place in Bolivia’s Amazon and eastern regions, close to the country’s border with Brazil. As of August 20th, reported the BBC, almost 25,000 fires have destroyed about 1.5m hectares (3.7m acres) of land and more than 60 houses. Smoke from the fires has also delayed numerous flights and forced several airports to close for short periods.

President Evo Morales described the fires as “a natural phenomenon”, despite explaining that they were mostly caused by farmers clearing land ahead of the planting season. He said they had lost control of them and the fires had spread rapidly.

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August 24th, 2010 Category: Fires, Lakes, Rivers

Caspian Sea - July 30th, 2010

Sediments and algae color the northern end of the Caspian Sea green in color. Most of the rest of the large lake appears dark blue, with the exception of the lighter waters of Karabogas Bay, on the eastern side.

Many of the sediments are discharged from the Volga River, whose large delta can be seen at the top. It is a large area of wetlands and appears dark green. Upon opening the full image, two fires can be seen nearby.

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