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January 20, 2019 - Snow in Greater Caucasus Mountains (False Color)
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Heavy snow fell across Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains in mid-January 2019. According to local media, on January 16, the snow and frigid cold led to the closure of schools in 20 provinces across much of Turkey, and ice caused widespread road closures. At least two people were killed by packed snow falling from rooftops. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of snow across the region on January 18.
This false-color image uses infrared and visible light to help differentiate white snow from white cloud. Cloud remains white or a very light pink, while cold snow appear turquoise. Vegetation appears bright green, while open land/soil looks tan and water appears deep blue to black.
The Greater Caucasus Mountains sweeps from the Black Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The mountains include parts of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russian republics such as Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Abkhazia, and Ossetia. The Caucasus Mountains are the highest mountains in Europe and, along with Turkey, are located in an area where, in the winter, the cold, dry air from Russia meets with warmer, humid air from the Mediterranean. The combination fuels heavy winter precipitation, especially in the high elevations.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/24/2019
Resolutions:
1km (1.1 MB), 500m (2.8 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Heavy snow fell across Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains in mid-January 2019. According to local media, on January 16, the snow and frigid cold led to the closure of schools in 20 provinces across much of Turkey, and ice caused widespread road closures. At least two people were killed by packed snow falling from rooftops. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a false-color image of snow across the region on January 18.
This false-color image uses infrared and visible light to help differentiate white snow from white cloud. Cloud remains white or a very light pink, while cold snow appear turquoise. Vegetation appears bright green, while open land/soil looks tan and water appears deep blue to black.
The Greater Caucasus Mountains sweeps from the Black Sea in the west to the Caspian Sea in the east. The mountains include parts of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russian republics such as Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Abkhazia, and Ossetia. The Caucasus Mountains are the highest mountains in Europe and, along with Turkey, are located in an area where, in the winter, the cold, dry air from Russia meets with warmer, humid air from the Mediterranean. The combination fuels heavy winter precipitation, especially in the high elevations.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/24/2019
Resolutions:
1km (1.1 MB), 500m (2.8 MB), 250m (2.6 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
