Published: September 7,2015
Alaska's wildfire season has been one of the worst on record this year, consuming more than 5.1 million acres, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center. This is second only to 2004 (6.5 million acres) in terms of acres burned across the state.
A new satellite image released by NASA that was taken on Sept. 1 shows just how large and numerous the wildfires were across Alaska's interior this summer. This is especially true when comparing that image to one taken before the worst of the wildfire activity on June 14, 2015.
The two images from NASA's Modis satellite use false color to help increase the contrast between bare land (brown/black shadings) and vegetated land (green shadings), making the wildfires scars stand out in the after image.
Before Image: June 14, 2015
Satellite image taken on June 14, 2015 showing Alaska's interior before the major fires.(NASA)
NASA said that the majority of the large fires occurred in the boreal forests of Alaska's interior and were allowed to burn since most of them were not a threat to lives or property. However, not all of the fires stayed away from populated locations. For example, the Sockeye fire (video above) in mid-June burned more than two dozen homes in Willow, Alaska.
Many of the fires sparked in June were the result of lightning strikes. In a span of three days from June 21-23, 2015, about 50,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the state.
After Image: Sept. 1, 2015
Satellite image taken on Sept. 1, 2015 showing the many burn scars across Alaska's interior.(NASA)
Below is an animation of the before and after satellite images for additional comparison.
Animation: June 14, 2015 - Sept. 1, 2015
Animated version showing June 14, 2015 compared to Sept. 1, 2015.
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