Envisat image of smoke plumes in Sudan

Numerous smoke plumes from burning fires are shown over southern Sudan in this Envisat image, acquired on 11 December 2006 by the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument. Although the cause of these fires is unknown, agricultural fires in the region are common this time of year because the dry season begins in November. Deliberate fires are often set to burn out papyrus plants so grass can grow and feed livestock. The lush green area running from the top left to the bottom centre of the image is the Sudd, one of Africa’s largest floodplains, providing watering and feeding grounds for many endemic mammals and birds as well as for large populations of migratory species.