File:Burn Scars Near Lake Upemba, Democratic Republic of Congo (MODIS).jpg

English: The wet savannah west of Lake Upemba has been home to humans for many hundreds of years, providing sustenance in wild meat and fish as well as providing rich soils for growing crops. Traditional agriculture in this region, as in many places around the globe, includes the use of fire to manage cropland and to renew pasture.

On August 1, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of the wet savannah and Upemba Depression in Democratic Republic of Congo.

This type of image uses a combination of infrared and visible light (MODIS bands 7,2,1) to help separate features such as water (deep blue or black) and burn scars from vegetation (bright green). The color of areas recently charred by fire (burn scars) varies from bright brick-red or brown in fresh scars, depending on soil color and fire characteristics. Older burn scars fade as vegetation grows into the previously-charred area.

Lake Upemba’s dark waters contrast with wetland vegetation, such as papyrus, that floats on the surface and surrounds the lake. On both the west and east sides of the large lake, the savannah is pockmarked by small black lakes. The green savannah is also colored by a patchwork of hundreds of deep brick-red and brown burn scars. In some locations it is hard to separate burnt grassland from the lakes. Just southwest of the center an orange glow marks an actively burning fire.