Cette image peut avoir des imperfections car il s’agit d’une image historique ou de reportage.
Middle school students across the country photographed the fires and smoke over southern Sumatra from a camera aboard the Atlantis Saturday, September 27. 1997. Smoldering underground fires raged uncontrolled for several weeks in Southeast Asia. At the time this image was taken, the fire had been blamed for two fatal accidents and countless health hazards. At one point, the pollution index of the region reached 839 (a pollution index of 300 is a equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day). The smoke, during one time, blanketed an area that was larger than the continental United States. A clear view is visible of the southern tip of Sumatra with the volcanoes that make up the backbone of the island appearing darker than the surrounding land. Travelling northwest, the first smoke plumes are visible in the rain forests east of the mountains where land is being cleared for palm plantations. The prevailing winds are from the southeast and are blowing most of the smoke to the northwest.
