August 22, 2007 - The Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea

A surprising stretch of green vegetation in otherwise pale, arid terrain, the Elburz Mountains (bottom center) in northern Iran capture the majority of the moisture coming from the Caspian Sea.

<> Several scattered fires (red dots) have been detected by the MODIS on the Terra satellite in this image from August 7, 2002. Along the shores of Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea is swirling with blues and greens, which may be a mixture of sediment and microscopic marine plants called phytoplankton.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 08/07/2007
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC