![\"GOES-16](\"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/04\/170411_goes16_goes13_shortwave_infrared_KS_fires_anim.gif\")
<\/a>GOES-16 (left) and GOES-13 (right) Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m) images [click to play animation]<\/p><\/div>\u00a0** The GOES-16 data posted on this page are preliminary, non-operational data and are undergoing testing. **<\/em><\/p>\n A comparison of GOES-16 and GOES-13 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images (above)<\/strong> <\/em>showed numerous fire “hot spot” signatures (black to yellow to red pixels, with red being the<\/em> hottest)<\/em> from prescribed burning across the Flint Hills<\/strong><\/a> region of eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma on 11 April 2017<\/strong><\/a>. Such fires are an annual tradition in this area, required to preserve the tallgrass prairies<\/strong><\/a> — for example, over 2.7 million acres were burned during Spring 2016<\/strong><\/a>. The 2-km spatial resolution (at satellite sub-point) and 5-minute scan interval of GOES-16 allowed for more accurate detection and monitoring of the fires (compared to the 4-km spatial resolution and 15-30 minute scan interval of GOES-13).<\/p>\n The corresponding Visible GOES-16 (0.64 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) vs GOES-13 (0.63 \u00b5m) images (below)<\/strong><\/em> tracked the development and transport of smoke from the fires. Hourly reports of surface visibility (in statute miles) are plotted in red; at Fort Riley, Kansas<\/strong><\/a>, smoke reduced the visibility from 10.0 miles at 21 UTC to 1.0 mile at 23 UTC, adversely affecting air quality there.<\/p>\n