 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Plumes of smoke from serious wildfires across Portugal fan into the Atlantic in this Envisat satellite view acquired on 21 August. Dozens of wildfires are reported throughout the country, which has suffered one of its worst droughts for decades. Fanned by high winds, the fires have destroyed more than 140 000 hectares of land and killed at least 15 people. Stricken areas include the vicinity of the city of Coimbra, Portugal's third largest city, around 200 km northeast of Lisbon. On the outskirts of the city firefighters are attempting to keep the blazes at bay. Other fires are reported to be burning in the northern districts of Viseu and Viana do Castelo. Firefighting aircraft from France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are participating in control activities following an appeal for help by Portugal's government. This international assistance supplements a national firefighting effort of 49 aircraft, around 800 vehicles and 3000 firefighters. The images here come from the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) aboard Envisat, Europe's largest-ever Earth Observation satellite, operating in Reduced Resolution mode for a spatial resolution of 1200 metres. Related Links TerraDaily Search TerraDaily Subscribe To TerraDaily Express 
Shooting For The Heart: Astronaut Finds Passion For Photography In Space
Houston TX (SPX) Aug 23, 2005Moroccan desert sand seas ripple in the sun. Rugged, snowcapped Himalaya Mountains pierce the heavens. Egyptian lakes spill liquid metal onto the Earth's surface while stretches of shoreline summon the eye. |
. |
|
