+ Visit NASA.gov + Advanced Search   + About the Server   + Animation List   + How to Use the Server   + RSS Feeds   + Podcasts   + Opportunities Previous Animation Next Animation Biomass Burning over South America Biomass burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation. It includes the human-initiated burning of vegetation for land clearing and land-use change as well as natural, lightning-induced fires. Scientists estimate that humans are responsible for about 90% of biomass burning with only a small percentage of natural fires contributing to the total amount of vegetation burned. Burning vegetation releases large amounts of particulates (solid carbon combustion particles) and gases, including greenhouse gases that help warm the Earth. Studies suggest that biomass burning has increased on a global scale over the last 100 years, and computer calculations indicate that a hotter Earth resulting from global warming will lead to more frequent and larger fires. Biomass burning particulates impact climate and can also affect human health when they are inhaled, causing respiratory problems. Here are three images of South America on October 7, 2004. The first image shows clouds and fires on that day. The second image is clouds and nitrous dioxide (NO2) concentrations in the stratosphere. The last image overlays the fires on the NO2 data.    Fires seen from space on October 7, 2004 Available formats:   2560 x 1920     TIFF 4 MB   160 x 80           PNG       45 KB   320 x 240         JPEG     12 KB   80 x 40             PNG       12 KB    Aura measures NO2 concentration over South America on October 7, 2004 Available formats:   2560 x 1920     TIFF 4 MB   320 x 240         JPEG     12 KB   160 x 80           PNG       45 KB   80 x 40             PNG       12 KB    Fires and NO2 concentration measured from Space on October 7, 2004 Available formats:   2560 x 1920     TIFF 5 MB   160 x 80           PNG       45 KB   320 x 240         JPEG     13 KB   80 x 40             PNG       12 KB Animation Number: 3075 Completed: 2004-12-09 Animators: Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC) (Lead)   Greg Shirah (NASA/GSFC) Scientists: Mark Schoeberl (NASA/GSFC)   Ernest Hilsenrath (NASA/GSFC)   Pepijn Veefkind (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI) Platforms/Sensors/Data Sets: Terra/MODIS   Aura/OMI   Terra and Aqua/MODIS/Fire Location Data Collected: 2004/10/07 Series: Aura First Light Goddard TV Tape: G2004-064 Keywords: DLESE >> Atmospheric science SVS >> Biomass GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Biosphere >> Ecological Dynamics >> Fire Occurrence     Please give credit for this item to: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio Back to Top + Privacy Policy and Important Notices + Reproduction Guidelines NASA Official: Content Contact: Curator: