File:Alaska and British Columbia (MODIS 2019-05-17).jpg

English: On May 13, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of southeastern Alaska and northern British Columbia.

Most of the green in this image lies within Alaska’s temperate rain forest, which is rich in sitka spruce and western hemlock. In the west and north, the rugged terrain rises to the Boundary Ranges, the largest and most northerly subrange of the Coast Mountains. The tall peaks wear a blanket of snow and ice, including glacier-bearing icefields. Although generally lower in elevation of the more southerly Coast Mountains, the Boundary Ranges contain several towering peaks, including Mount Ratz at 10,238 ft. (3,090 m), Chutine Peak at 9,547 ft (2,910 m) and Devils Thumb at 9,077 ft (2,593 m). In the Boundary Ranges, the land owned by Alaska, United States, gives way to British Columbia, Canada.

Heavy smoke streaks across the southern section of this image, partially obscuring parts of Canada’s Queen Charlotte Islands. This most likely rises from large fires burning in central British Columbia. Both Southeast Alaska and much of British Columbia have experienced another hot, dry winter, sparking concerns about the potential for another vicious fire season.