May 11, 2023 - A River of Smoke Darkens North American Skies

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Smoke from wildfires in Western Canada darkened skies not only across
that country, but dipped southward and eastward to cross the
northeastern United States the North Atlantic Ocean on May 9, 2023. The
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s
Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the massive river of
smoke on that same day.

The smoke primarily originates from several intense fires burning in
the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. A few fires in southern
Saskatchewan may also be adding to the gray skies. The west-to-east
length of the plume was estimated at more than 3,770 kilometers (2,964
miles) using the NASA Worldview App measurement tools. The actual
length travelled by the smoke was much greater, however, as it first
was carried northward over the Northwest Territories and Nunavut before
dipping southeast.

As of May 10, there were 81 wildfires burning in Alberta, according to
the Alberta Wildfire Dashboard. A situation update by the government of
Alberta on that same date counted 23 fires out of control and 17 being
held and not expected to grow beyond projected boundaries given current
weather conditions and resources. The report also states that there are
13 evacuation orders and 15 evacuation alerts in place, and the
province recorded approximately 17,386 evacuees, 13,829 of which have
registered at designated evacuation centers.

Early May is typically the start of the wildland fire season in
Alberta, as snowmelt uncovers dead vegetation that can become fuel for
fires. This year, an unusually hot and dry spring made it easier for
fires to start and to quickly expand. Firefighting operations in the
central portion of Alberta have benefited from a few days of light rain
and cooler temperatures, but conditions are expected to get hotter and
drier again within the next several days.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/9/2023
Resolutions: 1km (6.5 MB),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-05-11

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