JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Earth
.

NASA's MISR Views Raging Fires in California

Written by Abbey Nastan Jul 31, 2018
The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite took these images of the Carr Fire (left) and the Ferguson Fire (right) on July 27 and July 29, respectively.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team
This image shows the Carr Fire near Redding California on July 27 as observed by NASA's MISR instrument. The angular information from MISR's images is used to calculate the height of the smoke plume. The results are superimposed on the image on the right.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team
This image shows the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park on July 29 as observed by NASA's MISR instrument. The angular information from MISR's images is used to calculate the height of the smoke plume. The results are superimposed on the image on the right.› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team
This image is a stereo anaglyph of the Carr Fire produced using data from the MISR instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. It shows a three-dimensional view of the plume visible through red-blue 3D glasses (with the red lens over the left eye).› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team
This image is a stereo anaglyph of the Ferguson Fire produced using data from the MISR instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. It shows a three-dimensional view of the plume visible through red-blue 3D glasses (with the red lens over the left eye).› Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team

More than a dozen wildfires are burning in the state of California. NASA's MISR instrument imaged two of them from space.

More than a dozen wildfires are burning in the state of California, with several of them threatening life and property. The Ferguson Fire ignited July 13 in the Sierra National Forest west of Yosemite National Park. Much of the forest in this area suffered extreme stress due to the extended drought of 2012 through 2017, and bark beetle damage, leaving many dead trees through which the fire has burned rapidly. Many surrounding towns have been under evacuation orders, and many popular areas of the national park were closed on July 25.

On July 23, another fire ignited northwest of Whiskeytown Lake, a reservoir in northern California. Dubbed the Carr Fire, it remained relatively small through July 25, but advanced rapidly toward the city of Redding the following day, prompting mass evacuations.

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite passed over California on July 27 and July 29, observing the Carr Fire on July 27 and the Ferguson Fire on July 29. The MISR instrument has nine cameras that view Earth at different angles.

It collected images from MISR's nadir (downward-pointing) camera on each day. The angular information from MISR's images is used to calculate the height of the smoke plume, results of which are superimposed on the right-hand side of each figure. The results show that smoke from both fires remained relatively close to the ground, leading to a greater impact on local air quality on these days. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an air quality alert July 25 for the entire California Central Valley. A pair of stereo anaglyphs provides a three-dimensional view of the plume. Red-blue glasses with the red lens placed over your left eye are required to observe the 3D effect.

These data were acquired during Terra orbit 98973 and 99002. The smoke plume height calculation was performed using the MISR INteractive eXplorer (MINX) software tool, which is publicly available at:

https://github.com/nasa/MINX

The MISR Plume Height Project maintains a database of global smoke plume heights, accessible at:

https://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/getData/accessData/MisrMinxPlumes2/

MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Terra spacecraft is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center in Hampton, Virginia. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena.

News Media Contact

Esprit Smith

818-354-4269

Esprit.Smith@jpl.nasa.gov

2018-182

Related News

Climate Change .

Warming Seas Are Accelerating Greenland’s Glacier Retreat

Earth .

NASA, US and European Partner Satellite Returns First Sea Level Measurements

Technology .

NASA Confirms New SIMPLEx Mission Small Satellite to Blaze Trails Studying Lunar Surface

Earth .

New Data Confirm 2020 SO to Be the Upper Centaur Rocket Booster From the 1960's

Earth .

Follow Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich in Real Time As It Orbits Earth

Climate Change .

US-European Mission Launches to Monitor the World's Oceans

Climate Change .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite Prepared for Launch

Climate Change .

Study: Urban Greenery Plays a Surprising Role in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Climate Change .

NASA TV to Air Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Launch, Prelaunch Activities

Earth .

Earth May Have Captured a 1960s-Era Rocket Booster

Explore More

Image .

Glacier Undercutting in Action

Image .

Hulhumale, Maldives

Topic .

Earth

Image .

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

Infographic .

Inside Hurrricanes

Image .

Mt. Etna, Italy

Image .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Waveform

Image .

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich First Light Sea Level

Image .

Providencia Island, Colombia

Image .

Kliuchevskoi Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono