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September 22, 2024 - Clouds and Sea Ice Surround South Georgia Island
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South Georgia Island is a whale-bone-shaped and glacier-covered sub-Antarctic island. It sits in the remote Southern Atlantic Ocean roughly 800 miles (1,300 km) southeast of the nearest land—the Falkland Islands—and 1,700 miles (2,735 km) due east of the Argentina’s southernmost tip.
The island measures only about 100 miles (161 km) long by 25 miles (40 km) wide, which is roughly similar to the size of Long Island, New York. Unlike the well-populated American island, South Georgia’s environment is inhospitable to human life, with no permanent human residents. It is, however, very biodiverse with a large number of species such as penguins, seals, albatross, and a wide variety of marine life using the island and surrounding waters to live and breed.
The topography of South Georgia both steep and rugged, with 11 peaks rising more than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level. Roughly 160 glaciers top the tall mountains. Mount Paget’s peak, located near the center of the island, is the tallest, standing roughly 2,900 meters (9515 feet). The upright terrain effectively forms a shield against the frigid winds that frequently howl across the islands.
On September 6, 2024, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a striking true-color image of South Georgia Island surrounded by cloud. A cloud-free patch marks the leeward side of the island, where the tall mountains have blocked the flow of the prevailing wind, which appears to be from the northwest. Swirls of bright white, delicate-appearing sea ice fill the southeast section of the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/6/2024
Resolutions:
1km (304.2 KB), 500m (794.3 KB), 250m (1.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
South Georgia Island is a whale-bone-shaped and glacier-covered sub-Antarctic island. It sits in the remote Southern Atlantic Ocean roughly 800 miles (1,300 km) southeast of the nearest land—the Falkland Islands—and 1,700 miles (2,735 km) due east of the Argentina’s southernmost tip.
The island measures only about 100 miles (161 km) long by 25 miles (40 km) wide, which is roughly similar to the size of Long Island, New York. Unlike the well-populated American island, South Georgia’s environment is inhospitable to human life, with no permanent human residents. It is, however, very biodiverse with a large number of species such as penguins, seals, albatross, and a wide variety of marine life using the island and surrounding waters to live and breed.
The topography of South Georgia both steep and rugged, with 11 peaks rising more than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level. Roughly 160 glaciers top the tall mountains. Mount Paget’s peak, located near the center of the island, is the tallest, standing roughly 2,900 meters (9515 feet). The upright terrain effectively forms a shield against the frigid winds that frequently howl across the islands.
On September 6, 2024, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a striking true-color image of South Georgia Island surrounded by cloud. A cloud-free patch marks the leeward side of the island, where the tall mountains have blocked the flow of the prevailing wind, which appears to be from the northwest. Swirls of bright white, delicate-appearing sea ice fill the southeast section of the image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/6/2024
Resolutions:
1km (304.2 KB), 500m (794.3 KB), 250m (1.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
