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March 15, 2024 - Sediment Discharge from the Rhone River
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In early March 2024, an Atlantic low pressure system and associated weather fronts brought drenching rains, heavy snow, hail, and howling wind across much of central and eastern Europe. The storm, known locally as Monica, brought severe flooding to southern France starting on March 8, with some locations reporting 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rainfall in 48 hours. Six deaths have been attributed to the floods, with at least one additional person missing.
The extreme storm not only caused flooding, but also swept heavy sediment into rivers across southeastern France. The Rhône River, which is the second-longest river in France, typically picks up sediment as it winds about 504 miles (812 kilometers) through Switzerland and France and ultimately spills into the Mediterranean Sea. Strong storms and flooding increase this sediment load.
On March 14, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of a long plume of post-storm sediment pulsing into the Mediterranean Sea. Additional sediment floats near the coastline. Sediment appears tan when it floats near the surface of a body of water but appears green in true-color images as it sinks.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/13/2024
Resolutions:
1km (172.6 KB), 500m (477.7 KB), 250m (426.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
In early March 2024, an Atlantic low pressure system and associated weather fronts brought drenching rains, heavy snow, hail, and howling wind across much of central and eastern Europe. The storm, known locally as Monica, brought severe flooding to southern France starting on March 8, with some locations reporting 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rainfall in 48 hours. Six deaths have been attributed to the floods, with at least one additional person missing.
The extreme storm not only caused flooding, but also swept heavy sediment into rivers across southeastern France. The Rhône River, which is the second-longest river in France, typically picks up sediment as it winds about 504 miles (812 kilometers) through Switzerland and France and ultimately spills into the Mediterranean Sea. Strong storms and flooding increase this sediment load.
On March 14, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of a long plume of post-storm sediment pulsing into the Mediterranean Sea. Additional sediment floats near the coastline. Sediment appears tan when it floats near the surface of a body of water but appears green in true-color images as it sinks.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/13/2024
Resolutions:
1km (172.6 KB), 500m (477.7 KB), 250m (426.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
