Images
October 9, 2010 - Fall colors in the upper Midwest
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The changing of the season is vividly illustrated by the fall colors visible on the clear afternoon of October 5, 2010 in the upper Midwest of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead on this date, capturing this true-color image.
The northern lake is Lake Superior and the more southerly lake is Lake Michigan. The land in the north of the image is Ontario, Canada. From west to east the states are: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan lies between the two lakes.
Most of the forests in this region are a mixture of evergreen conifers (pine, cedar, spruce and balsam) and deciduous broadleaf trees, especially birch, poplar, aspen and maple, along with some oaks. Tamarack, a type of larch, also grows here. It is a deciduous conifer, and sheds needles in the fall.
Birch and aspen leaves turn bright yellow. Maples, depending on type, may turn yellow, orange, or bright red. Likewise, oaks may turn yellow, red or brownish-red. Tamarack turns a glowing lemon yellow.
The Upper Peninsula experienced its first frost of the season on September 10, 2010. Sections of the western Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin were reporting peak colors on October 5, when this image was captured; these areas are the most richly colored regions in the image. Further north in Canada, the foliage remains green, indicating that the primary tree type is evergreen.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/5/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The changing of the season is vividly illustrated by the fall colors visible on the clear afternoon of October 5, 2010 in the upper Midwest of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead on this date, capturing this true-color image.
The northern lake is Lake Superior and the more southerly lake is Lake Michigan. The land in the north of the image is Ontario, Canada. From west to east the states are: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan lies between the two lakes.
Most of the forests in this region are a mixture of evergreen conifers (pine, cedar, spruce and balsam) and deciduous broadleaf trees, especially birch, poplar, aspen and maple, along with some oaks. Tamarack, a type of larch, also grows here. It is a deciduous conifer, and sheds needles in the fall.
Birch and aspen leaves turn bright yellow. Maples, depending on type, may turn yellow, orange, or bright red. Likewise, oaks may turn yellow, red or brownish-red. Tamarack turns a glowing lemon yellow.
The Upper Peninsula experienced its first frost of the season on September 10, 2010. Sections of the western Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin were reporting peak colors on October 5, when this image was captured; these areas are the most richly colored regions in the image. Further north in Canada, the foliage remains green, indicating that the primary tree type is evergreen.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/5/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
