File:Fires in central Brazil (MODIS 2015-09-27).jpg

English: Earlier this year researchers and scientists at NASA and UC-Irvine predicted that the wildfire risk for the western Amazon Basin should be lower in 2015 than in past years. However, they also projected that the risk for the eastern part will be higher.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA�s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of fires centered in Brazil. In the state of Amazonas, the fire activity is low, but in Acre, Mato Grosso, Para, and Rodonia, the fire activity appears to be much higher.

The study goes on to say the reason has to do with the El Ni�o event which developed earlier this year and in currently in full effect. According to the study, "Sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are warmer than normal � El Ni�o conditions � which suppress rainfall in the eastern Amazon. The three regions at highest risk are Brazil states Maranh�o, Mato Grosso and Par�. Meanwhile, sea surface temperatures in the tropical North Atlantic are average or cooler than average, keeping higher amounts of rainfall in the south and southwestern Amazon."