March 2, 2014 - The Pyrénées Mountains

The Pyrénées Mountains

The spine of the Pyrénées was covered in snow in late February, 2014, much to the delight of skiers in both Spain and France. According to the Guide2MidiPyrennees.com, recent heavy snowfall was giving great powder conditions across the Pyrenees ski resorts on February 12, and again the snow report from March 1 claimed the presence of widespread powder. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the region on February 23.

The Pyrénées Mountains form a natural border between France (north) and Spain in the south. The range reaches from the Bay of Biscay in the west, and the Mediterranean Sea in the east. Black borderlines have been overlain on the image to mark country boundaries.

Following the line as it runs along the Pyrénées, a circular border can be seen in the eastern section of the mountains. This marks the tiny country of Andorra. With an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi), it was home to approximately 85,000 people as of 2012.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/23/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC