NASA MODIS Satilite pictures of the California Wild fires!

[Up2Late]

Warning: These are VERY LARGE files, depending on which picture you click on. The 250m pictures are upto 1260.48 KB (1290727 bytes), so if you have a slower connection, and don't have a lot of extra time, you might want to stick to the 1km or 500m files.
Or click on the FSI viewer at this link: <http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/>

Date: 2006/299 - 10/26

Pixel size: 1km | 500m | 250m
2006299-1026/California.A2006299.2105


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Wildfiles in California (click thumbnail to go to MODIS gallery)

Satellite: Aqua
FSI Viewer 21 :05 UTC

There is also another good picture of the massive Los Padres N.F., fire back in September, at the bottom of the Gallery

Date: 2006/260 - 09/17

Pixel size: 1km | 500m | 250m
2006260-0917/California.A2006260.2100
FSI Viewer 21 :00 UTC



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Smoke from California wildfires

Satellite: Aqua

AND!

For all you False Color IR Satilite picture fans, Check out the 721 photos for the same to dates at these links!
Why, you ask? Well in these 721 photos, past fire scars show up as dark red sploches, Check it out!

Date: 2006/260 - 09/17
MODIS Aqua
721

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Check out the size of the burn scar from last month in this 721 image!

Date: 2006/299 - 10/26
MODIS Aqua
721

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[wakeme2008]

1. I worked on Terra (AM-1) and Agua (PM-1) software

at NASA in DC.... Love those birds.....

[Up2Late]

2. Me too, though I wish they had a near-real time Subset of the Aral Sea.

The have the Europe_2_05 Subsets and the Europe_3_05 Subsets that cover the Caspian Sea area, but they split the Aral Sea almost in half, so you have to look at it in north and south sections individually.

The Aral Sea is one of the planets biggest Man-made ecological disasters, that could still be reversed if immediate action were taken, but few even know about it. Having it's own Sub-set would help.

Here's a link to some recent Aral sea images and the subsets:



<http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?search=Aral+Sea>

<http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_2_05>

<http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Europe_3_05>

Here a USGS web site that shows how much it's change since 1964: <http://earthshots.usgs.gov/Aral/Aral>

[Up2Late]

3. Image of the Day - October 28, 2006 - Esperanza Fire in Southern California

(This is the same image that I originally posted about, but now with a very detailed caption)

October 28, 2006 - Esperanza Fire in Southern California

Waves of gray-brown smoke washed over the mountains southeast of Los Angeles and out over the Pacific on October 26, 2006. West of Palm Springs, California, the Esperanza Fire had ballooned under the influence of Santa Ana winds to more than 19,000 acres as of the morning of October 27, according to the daily report from the National Interagency Fire Center. Racing through grass, brush, and timber, the blaze had forced hundreds to evacuate, and it killed several firefighters who were working to protect homes. Fire officials are reporting the cause of the blaze as arson.

This photo-like image shows the fire and surrounding area captured by the MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite on October 26. Places where MODIS detected actively burning fire are outlined in red. The Santa Ana Mountains peak out from beneath the smoke near the southeastern suburbs of Los Angeles.

Santa Ana winds are a California firefighter’s nightmare. These blustery, dry, and often hot winds blow out of the desert and race through canyons and passes in the mountains on their way toward the coast. The air is hot not because it is bringing heat from the desert, but because it is flowing downslope from higher elevations. As fall progresses, cold air begins to sink into the Great Basin deserts to the east of California. As the air piles up at the surface, high pressure builds, and the air begins to flow downslope toward the coast. When winds blow downslope, the air gets compressed, which causes it to warm and dry out. In fact, the air can warm at a rate of 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer of descent (29 degrees Fahrenheit per mile). Canyons and passes funnel the winds, which increases their speed. Not only do the winds spread the fire, but they also dry out vegetation, making it even more flammable.

Links to the Hi-Res pitures at link: <http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2006-10-28>

[Up2Late]

4. Looks like they knocked it out almost completely now!

Date: 2006/301 - 10/28
MODIS Aqua
721

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