Images
November 16, 2010 - Carpathian Mountains, Transylvanian Alps, and Balkan Mountains
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The Transylvanian Basin, painted in the browns and greens of late autumn, nestles in the dark green arc of the conifer-covered Carpathian Mountains in Romania on a nearly cloudless day. This true-color image was captured on November 15, 2010 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra Satellite as it passed overhead.
The Carpathians are low to medium altitude mountains covering an area of over 71,000 square kilometers in central Romania. The mountainous arc extends over 1,000 kilometers but the mountains rarely exceed 100 kilometers in width. The southwestern portion of the Carpathians is also known as the Transylvanian Alps. The Carpathians provide a rich habitat for flora and fauna, and are home to the largest European populations of brown bears, wolves, chamois and lynxes, as well as over one third of all European plant species.
Further south the Balkan mountain range stretches across the Balkan Peninsula of Bulgaria. This range begins on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia in the west and runs 560 kilometers eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea.
Between the Carpathians and the Balkans lies the vast valley of the Danube River. The river originates in the Black Forest of Germany, and flows southeast for over 2,800 kilometers to empty into the Black Sea. It flows through or forms the borders of ten countries, including the border of Romania and Bulgaria. The wetlands of the Danube Delta support large flocks of migratory birds, including species which are threatened or endangered, such as the Pygmy Cormorant, Phalacrocorax pygmaeus.
To the north of the Danube, a gray circular area marks the location of Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. The valley itself appears to be shrouded in a thin haze, which appears thicker over the river. This haze may be a combination of smoke from several fires, which can be seen as red hotspots, fog from the river, and pollution from human activity.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/15/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Transylvanian Basin, painted in the browns and greens of late autumn, nestles in the dark green arc of the conifer-covered Carpathian Mountains in Romania on a nearly cloudless day. This true-color image was captured on November 15, 2010 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra Satellite as it passed overhead.
The Carpathians are low to medium altitude mountains covering an area of over 71,000 square kilometers in central Romania. The mountainous arc extends over 1,000 kilometers but the mountains rarely exceed 100 kilometers in width. The southwestern portion of the Carpathians is also known as the Transylvanian Alps. The Carpathians provide a rich habitat for flora and fauna, and are home to the largest European populations of brown bears, wolves, chamois and lynxes, as well as over one third of all European plant species.
Further south the Balkan mountain range stretches across the Balkan Peninsula of Bulgaria. This range begins on the border of Bulgaria and Serbia in the west and runs 560 kilometers eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea.
Between the Carpathians and the Balkans lies the vast valley of the Danube River. The river originates in the Black Forest of Germany, and flows southeast for over 2,800 kilometers to empty into the Black Sea. It flows through or forms the borders of ten countries, including the border of Romania and Bulgaria. The wetlands of the Danube Delta support large flocks of migratory birds, including species which are threatened or endangered, such as the Pygmy Cormorant, Phalacrocorax pygmaeus.
To the north of the Danube, a gray circular area marks the location of Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. The valley itself appears to be shrouded in a thin haze, which appears thicker over the river. This haze may be a combination of smoke from several fires, which can be seen as red hotspots, fog from the river, and pollution from human activity.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/15/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
