Peatland Fires Darken Skies in Indonesia

NASA's Earth Observatory reports that peatland fires are burning across the island of Borneo, producing thick gray plumes of smoke. The fires, which burn in dried wetland soils, are slow-burning and highly polluting. According to NASA, peat fires generate more fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, organic carbon, methane, and carbon monoxide than other tropical forest fires. The Indonesian government is using NASA and NOAA observations to track active fires in near-real-time, but detecting fires through thick smoke or clouds can be difficult. The large-scale construction of irrigation canals and drainage of peat swamps in the 1990s has contributed to the flammability of the region today. Efforts to improve firefighting capacity and reduce accidental ignitions have been made since the 2015 fire season, but the effectiveness of these measures remains to be seen.