Images
December 6, 2024 - The Colorful Caspian Sea
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Multi-colored swirls filled the southeastern corner of the Caspian Sea in late December 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the wintery scene on December 4.
The color most likely comes from a combination of floating sediment and from expansive growth of microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton live in these waters year-round in relatively small numbers but, when given adequate sunlight and nutrition, populations can rapidly reproduce to form blooms large enough to be seen from space.
Phytoplankton blooms usually are colored in tones of blue and green. The tan color in the water located near the eastern coastline off of Turkmenistan’s deserts is suggestive of floating sediment. Strong winds over the previous few days likely blew sand and dust into this corner of the Caspian Sea.
South of the Caspian Sea, snow caps the heights of the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran. The high mountains stretch about 560 miles (900 km) and run roughly parallel to the southern coastline of the Sea. They are tall enough to act like a barrier to rain clouds moving southward, creating a vegetated coastal plain and even rainforest on the northern slopes. The valley on the southside of the mountains, however, receives very little precipitation. The presence of numerous salt pans and the lack of green vegetation south of the mountains gives good evidence of a very arid environment in the rain shadow formed by the high peaks.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/4/2024
Resolutions:
1km (269.9 KB), 500m (700.7 KB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Multi-colored swirls filled the southeastern corner of the Caspian Sea in late December 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the wintery scene on December 4.
The color most likely comes from a combination of floating sediment and from expansive growth of microscopic plant-like organisms called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton live in these waters year-round in relatively small numbers but, when given adequate sunlight and nutrition, populations can rapidly reproduce to form blooms large enough to be seen from space.
Phytoplankton blooms usually are colored in tones of blue and green. The tan color in the water located near the eastern coastline off of Turkmenistan’s deserts is suggestive of floating sediment. Strong winds over the previous few days likely blew sand and dust into this corner of the Caspian Sea.
South of the Caspian Sea, snow caps the heights of the Elburz Mountains in northern Iran. The high mountains stretch about 560 miles (900 km) and run roughly parallel to the southern coastline of the Sea. They are tall enough to act like a barrier to rain clouds moving southward, creating a vegetated coastal plain and even rainforest on the northern slopes. The valley on the southside of the mountains, however, receives very little precipitation. The presence of numerous salt pans and the lack of green vegetation south of the mountains gives good evidence of a very arid environment in the rain shadow formed by the high peaks.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/4/2024
Resolutions:
1km (269.9 KB), 500m (700.7 KB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
