October 5, 2020 - Iceland

Iceland

On October 1, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a stunning false-color image of Iceland on a mild autumn day.

This false-color image combines visible and infrared light (Bands 7,2,1) to distinguish snow and ice from land, vegetation, and water. In this combination, snow and ice appear bright cyan while vegetation appears electric green, land appears tan or brown, and deep water appears inky black. Clouds primarily appear white, but colder cloud tops may also appear cyan.

Temperatures in early October begin to cool with the onset of autumn. According to the Icelandic Met Office, high temperatures on October 4 remained above freezing (2-5˚C/35.6-31˚F) near the coasts, with cooler temperatures inland. Some areas, especially near the numerous glaciers, reached only -10˚C (14˚F).

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/1/2020
Resolutions: 1km (169.4 KB), 500m (480.2 KB), 250m (1.1 MB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC