Fire Data Across Africa (IMAGE) NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Caption The Suomi NPP satellite detected these fires (red dots) in Africa on Jan. 30, 2016. Ichoku hypothesizes that such fires play a significant role in altering rainfall patterns. Credit NASA Earth Observatory map by Joshua Stevens, using VIIRS data from Suomi NPP Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.