NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image (left) and its close-up (right) on January 6, 2016. They reveal dark plumes of smoke rising from fires at oil production and storage facilities on the coast of Libya.
According to news reports, five oil storage tanks, which contained 420,000 to 460,000 barrels of oil each, were burning. The particulate matter and chemicals in the smoke can cause respiratory and other health problems.