JPG File 960K
Figure 7.7
Comparison of Mir photographs and satellite data on smoke from the Mexico-Central American fires of 1998. Contour maps of data from the TOMS satellite show the aerosol index, a relative measure of the ultraviolet albedo for different wavelengths in the UV spectrum. The tips of the white arrows indicate the approximate nadir location of the Mir and the arrow directions indicate the approximate look direction of the photographs. (A) Smoke palls in Mexico, May 16, 1998 (NASA photograph NASA7-726-20). The mountainous spine of the Sierra Madre del Sur in southern Mexico, 600 km long, runs diagonally across this southeast-looking view. The regional extent of a massive smoke pall is apparent on the Pacific flank of the Sierra, with the coastline dimly visible under the smoke (far right). Winds blow smoke plumes (long white tendrils) westward (to the right) from individual fires in forests at the higher elevations of the mountains. A mass of cloud (white region cutting across the view below the horizon) occupies the top of the view. (B) Central American smoke over Florida, U.S.A., May 19, 1998 (NASA photograph NASA7-725-22). This photograph was taken when the Mexico-Central America smoke transport reached its peak. This northeast-looking view shows smoke in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (foreground), partly obscuring the peninsula of Florida (middle ground), and extending hundreds of km into the Atlantic Ocean. The rounded object in the lower right corner is a part of the Mir station. To aid interpretation, a sketch map of the photograph is provided in the lower left. (Modified from National Aeronatuics and Space Administration, 1998b.)
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