Images
October 22, 2010 - Fall colors in northwestern Russia
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Autumn paints the landscape of northwestern Russia in varied hues of greens, oranges and tans on October 7, 2010 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this true-color image.
In this image, the White Sea lies to the north, and a pair of large lakes, Logoda and Onega, are found just to the south of the Sea. Two gray areas mark the cities of St. Petersburg, sitting on Lake Logoda, and Novgorod, on gray-blue Lake Ilem. The Rubinskoye Reservoir lies to the east of Lake Ilem and the Volga River emerges from the southeast corner then curves through the land.
Most of this forest is tiaga, which is a biome characterized by coniferous trees. In northwest Russia, the dominant species are Norway spruce, Scots Pine and Siberian Stone Pine, and to a lesser extent the Larch, which is a deciduous conifer. In very early autumn, Larch needles turn a brilliant yellow color and soon drop. At the time this image was captured, evergreens predominate in the taiga.
Deciduous broadleaf trees, such as birch and aspen, are the species that turn brilliant colors in the fall. In the taiga they are rare. According to various forest maps of Russia, the only birch and aspen in this region are found in a band running south of St. Petersburg eastward across the Rubinskoye Reservoir and the Volga. Hints of lighter colors can be seen in this band.
Despite the lack of foliage coloration, the image is full of orange and red tones. Most of these areas are near river edges, in wetlands and bogs. The vegetation of bogs and wetlands are grasses, sedges, moss and brush. In the fall, these species turn shades of yellow, red and orange and then brown. While less brilliant than tree foliage, they are beautiful in their own right – and bring remarkable color to the land when viewed from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/7/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Autumn paints the landscape of northwestern Russia in varied hues of greens, oranges and tans on October 7, 2010 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured this true-color image.
In this image, the White Sea lies to the north, and a pair of large lakes, Logoda and Onega, are found just to the south of the Sea. Two gray areas mark the cities of St. Petersburg, sitting on Lake Logoda, and Novgorod, on gray-blue Lake Ilem. The Rubinskoye Reservoir lies to the east of Lake Ilem and the Volga River emerges from the southeast corner then curves through the land.
Most of this forest is tiaga, which is a biome characterized by coniferous trees. In northwest Russia, the dominant species are Norway spruce, Scots Pine and Siberian Stone Pine, and to a lesser extent the Larch, which is a deciduous conifer. In very early autumn, Larch needles turn a brilliant yellow color and soon drop. At the time this image was captured, evergreens predominate in the taiga.
Deciduous broadleaf trees, such as birch and aspen, are the species that turn brilliant colors in the fall. In the taiga they are rare. According to various forest maps of Russia, the only birch and aspen in this region are found in a band running south of St. Petersburg eastward across the Rubinskoye Reservoir and the Volga. Hints of lighter colors can be seen in this band.
Despite the lack of foliage coloration, the image is full of orange and red tones. Most of these areas are near river edges, in wetlands and bogs. The vegetation of bogs and wetlands are grasses, sedges, moss and brush. In the fall, these species turn shades of yellow, red and orange and then brown. While less brilliant than tree foliage, they are beautiful in their own right – and bring remarkable color to the land when viewed from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/7/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
