Date of Images:

8/16/2020 - 10/6/2020

Date of Next Image:

Daily updates expected

Summary:

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on board the Terra satellite has observed smoke from the 2020 California wildfires since mid-August.

These maps show the daily average aerosol optical depth (AOD) over California's 15 air basins starting on August 14, 2020. AOD is a measure of the degree to which light is absorbed or scattered by particles in the atmosphere, with AOD greater than 0.5 considered hazy.

Note: Please note that the MODIS AOD retrieval can miss thick smoke plumes that are hard to distinguish from clouds.

The significant increase in AOD in the northern basins on August 18 was associated with the rapid spread of several large fires in northern California. MODIS AOD will be used to monitor smoke for the duration of the main 2020 fire season.

Suggested Use:

Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrieved from MODIS can be used to track smoke from fires on the landscape, alongside other sources such as dust and pollution. AOD values greater than 0.5 can indicate hazy condition and may indicate areas experiencing poor air quality.

Satellite/Sensor:

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra Satellite

MOD08_D3 (1x1 degrees) and MOD04_L2 (10km) Deep Blue Aerosol Optical Depth at 550nm over land Products

Resolution:

Data averaged over California Air Basins from the California Air Resources Board

Credits:

Image created by Robert Field using data from the NASA GSFC MODIS Science Team.

Data Download:

The GIS data shown can be downloaded here: https://portal.nccs.nasa.gov/datashare/ACMAP/SatData/20020101/MapInfo/

Time series plots over each air basin can be downloaded here: https://portal.nccs.nasa.gov/datashare/ACMAP/SatData/20020101/

Esri REST Endpoint:

See URL section on right side of page

WMS Endpoint:

https://maps.disasters.nasa.gov/ags04/services/modis_aod_ca_fires_202008/MapServer/WMSServer