File:Fires in Indochina (MODIS 2015-02-12).jpg

English: Agricultural biomass burning was on the increase in Indochina in early February, 2014. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA�s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on February 1, 2015.

Hundreds of red hotspots cluster in Cambodia, in the southeast section of the image. Each red hotspot is an area where the thermal detectors on the instrument recognized temperatures higher than background. When accompanied by smoke, as in this image, such hotspots are diagnostic for actively burning fires. Additional hotspots are found throughout Thailand. Smoke pours from several burning fires across the region, and it appears that a thin veil of smoke also hangs over western Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand. Sediment discolors the waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

The time of year, the widespread nature, and numbers of fires suggest that these fires are primarily agricultural in origin. Fires can be used to manage land, return nutrients to the soil and clear fields after harvest or before planting. While fire helps enhance crops and pasturage, the accompanying smoke degrades air quality and can be harmful to human health.

Although the fires are extensive, it is likely that this is not yet the peak of the season. Agricultural fires tend to be at their maximum in Indochina in March, just before the monsoonal rains begin.