Blog Post Image: Hidden Wildfires Taking Big Toll on Amazon Rainforest

Researchers for the first time mapped the extent and frequency of understory fires across a study area (green) spanning 1.2 million square miles (3 million square kilometers) in the southern Amazon forest. Fires were widespread across the forest frontier during the study period from 1999-2010. Recurrent fires, however, are concentrated in areas favored by the confluence of climate conditions suitable for burning and ignition sources from humans. Image credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory (Click image to enlarge)

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