high res (1.4 M) low res (86 K)
| ISS004-E-11958 (16 May 2002) --- This digital still image
from the International Space Station features fire scars and smoke plumes
resulting from biomass burning in the savannahs of the southern Democratic
Republic Congo. Expedition Four crewmembers aboard the station observed
the seasonal increase in savannah burning, which traditionally peaks in
the area in June. This image, taken on May 16, 2002, is centered near 8.6
degrees south latitude, 27.4 degrees east longitude. These fires, likely
the result of human activities, according to the staff in the Earth Sciences
and Image Analysis Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center, are thought to contribute significant emissions to the atmosphere (Cahoon, et al, 1992).
The darker area in the foreground is a more heavily wooded hillside; most
burning occurs in the grassier savannahs which appear red-brown. Additional
images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC
Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. |
