October 30, 2014 - Sediment around Bermuda after Hurricane Gonzalo

Sediment around Bermuda after Hurricane Gonzalo

On October 17, 2014, the eye of category 3 Hurricane Gonzalo passed right over Bermuda. The storm knocked out power to most of the island and caused between $200–$400 million in property damage, though it did not cause any deaths. The potent storm also stirred up the sediments in the shallow bays and lagoons around Bermuda, spreading a huge mass of sediment across the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASAs Terra satellite flew over the storm-struck island captured this true-color image on October 19, 2014.

After the storm, visible plumes of sediment stretch 25 to 30 kilometers from Bermuda. They extend mostly to the south and east of the island, suggesting that the last winds from the storm may have been out of the northwest. The suspended sediments were likely a combination of beach sand and carbonate sediments from around the shallows and reefs.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 10/19/2014
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC