June 5, 2010 - The Ob River, Russia

The Ob River

Despite it being May 30th, this region of Russia is still covered with ice and snow. The MODIS on the Aqua satellite captured this image on that day in 2010. Near the top left corner, you can see the bottom tip of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and the Kara Strait, which separates it from mainland Russia. The body of water east of the Kara Strait, at the top center of the image is the Kara Sea. It's currently covered with ice. Novaya Zemelya is not far south of the Arctic Circle, so the wintery landscape is not surprising.

The body of water coming into the scene from the middle of the right side of the image is the Gulf of Ob. At the southwestern-most part of the Gulf is the mouth of the Ob River. Freshwater from the Ob flows into the Gulf of Ob and then out into the Kara Sea.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 05/30/2010
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC