Fires in Western Australia

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When this image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite at 12:20 p.m. local time (5:20 Universal Time) on May 2, 2012, dozens of fires, most likely management fires started by government authorities, were burning in the Kimberely region of Western Australia.

Fire season in this part of Australia usually begins in May and ends in November. Since it’s only the beginning of the dry season, vegetation is still relatively moist, and fires are relatively easy to contain. Authorities take advantage of this by starting management fires that are designed to remove vegetation that could fuel large wildfires later in the season.

On May 1, 2012 the Australian Bureau of Meteorology released rainfall figures for the just-completed wet season in Western Australia. In Kimberley, rainfall was above average; Dampier Downs in Kimberley experienced its wettest wet season on record, with more than 864 mm (34 in) of rain. Extra rain during the wet season typically leads to a more vigorous fire season later in the year.

Because officials are concerned that wildfires are taking a toll on the local tourism industry, they have intensified their efforts to prevent damaging wildfires with management fires. As part of this effort, they have begun setting patches of oval-shaped management fires rather than burning linear fire breaks as they did in the past, according to an article published by Australian Geographic.

References:
MODIS Image of the Day. (2012) Fires in Northern Australia. Accessed May 4, 2012.
Laurie, V. (2010) Radical Fire Plan for Kimberely. Australian Geographic Accessed
9News. (2012) Prescribed Burns Begin in WA's Kimberley. Accessed May 4, 2012.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Adam Voiland

Instrument:
Aqua - MODIS - NASA