Forest Fires in Western and Central Russia under an Exceptional Heat Wave

Fig. 1. Western and Central Russia on July 27, 2010

Figure 1 is an image of western and central Russia as observed by GOSAT (“Ibuki”) on July 24, 2010. Forests (dark green), grasslands, and croplands (light green) cover extensively the entire surface of the land. White shapes in the image are clouds.

Russia has suffered from an exceptional heat wave since July of this year. Without a good rain, forest fires have broken out in various places. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (The Ministry of the Russian Federation for Affairs of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disasters Relief (MCHS)), forest fires have spread over 17 states and republics in Russia and expansion still threatens as of the end of July. The Russian authorities indicated that the causes of the fires are mostly careless handling of the embers of garbage burning, smoking, camp fires, and barbecuing, CNN reported.

The yellow mark in the middle of the image indicates Moscow. At Nizhniy Novgorod, an industrial city 400 km northeast of Moscow, visibility is worsening due to the inflow of fire smoke, and many people, especially children and the elderly, are said to be in bad condition.

In the forested area around Moscow, there are sediments of withered plants called “peat” in the soil and they are also burning. Fires of peat bed smolder in the ground and do not go out easily. Fire fighting is foreseen to last long and to be difficult.

Fig. 2. Enlarged Image Around Moscow on July 27, 2010

Fig. 3. Enlarged Image Around Moscow on August 2, 2010

Fig. 4. Enlarged Image Around Moscow on August 8, 2010

Figures 2 to 4 are enlarged images around Moscow as observed on July 27, August 2, and August 8. Forest fires are marked by green circles. Figure 2 shows forest fires near Nizhniy Novgorod and smoke flowing northwest. The white shapes are clouds and the streams of light brown or yellow are smoke from the fire. Figure 3 on August 2 shows the smoke from a big fire covering the city of Nizhniy Novgorod. Six days later, on August 8, the smoke reached Moscow (See Figure 4).

Fig. 5. Forest Fires in the South of Nizhniy Novgorod

Forest Fires in Russia (kmz, 4.40 MB, Low Resolution) as seen on Google Earth

Figure 5 shows forest fires in the south of Nizhniy Novgorod as observed by ALOS (”Daichi”) on July 28, 2010. The green areas of the image are forests, grasslands, and croplands. The dark portion in the center of the image is the burned-out site. Smoke clouds are rising from the southeast and southwest of the image. Forests are still ablaze in these areas.

In addition to the forest fires, a record heat wave brought with it serious drought. This is the worst dought in the last few decades in Russia. Due to the extent of damages related to the drought, the Prime Minister (Vladimir Vladimirovich) Putin has signed an edict to temporarily prohibit exportation of grain products, including wheat. Since Russia is a world-leading exporter of wheat, an international rise in the price of wheat is a matter of concern worldwide.

Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite “IBUKI” (GOSAT)” First Thermal infrared spectra” Acquired