Abstract: Wildfires are both beneficial and harmful to society. Benefits
include the periodic removal of underbrush to prevent larger scale
fires. Fires are harmful when they burn out of control and threaten
life and property.
Satellites can be used to detect and monitor wildfires. In the
following activity the learner will observe a variety of wildfires,
identify wildfires and their smoke plumes from satellite images,
interpret this imagery in visible and infrared wavelengths, and
understand why this technology benefits humanity.
