False-color corrected reflectance animation of fires and burn scars in central Botswana from June 4 to June 14, 2023. These images were acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the joint NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. The images are false-color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) composites where Red is Band 7, Green is Band 2, and Blue is Band 1. This band combination is most useful for distinguishing burn scars from naturally low vegetation or bare soil and for enhancing floods. Vegetation appears green, water is black/dark blue, burn scars are red, and the actively burning fire front is bright red.
The peak fire season in Botswana typically begins in mid-August and lasts around 13 weeks. Between June 13, 2022, and June 12, 2023, there were 13,465 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) fire alerts, according to Global Forest Watch.
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