Images
January 11, 2026 - Strait of Gibraltar
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The narrow Strait of Gibraltar, separating Europe from Africa, acts as the gatekeeper for water exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean, in the west, sends a layer of warm, relatively fresh water eastward into the more saline Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, a lower current carries colder water westward into the North Atlantic Ocean.
At its narrowest point, the Strait constricts to just 9 miles (14 kilometers) between the tip of Spain to the tip of Morocco. The floor of the Strait also rises creating a shallow area known as the Camarinal Sill. This severe constriction of flow creates interesting currents and internal waves within the Strait of Gibraltar and in nearby waters.
On January 6, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the Strait of Gibraltar.
In this image, tan sediment lines the shoreline in many locations, especially where Spain’s Guadalquivir River spills into the Atlantic Ocean. As sediment sinks lower in water, its reflectivity changes and it appears green in true-color satellite imagery. The swirls of sediment follow the complex currents. In this case, the pattern illustrates the inflow of water from the Atlantic (clear area) and the currents created by the Camarinal Sill in the waters of the Mediterranean east of the Strait.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (107.2 KB), 500m (295.6 KB), 250m (372.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The narrow Strait of Gibraltar, separating Europe from Africa, acts as the gatekeeper for water exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean, in the west, sends a layer of warm, relatively fresh water eastward into the more saline Mediterranean Sea. At the same time, a lower current carries colder water westward into the North Atlantic Ocean.
At its narrowest point, the Strait constricts to just 9 miles (14 kilometers) between the tip of Spain to the tip of Morocco. The floor of the Strait also rises creating a shallow area known as the Camarinal Sill. This severe constriction of flow creates interesting currents and internal waves within the Strait of Gibraltar and in nearby waters.
On January 6, 2026, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the Strait of Gibraltar.
In this image, tan sediment lines the shoreline in many locations, especially where Spain’s Guadalquivir River spills into the Atlantic Ocean. As sediment sinks lower in water, its reflectivity changes and it appears green in true-color satellite imagery. The swirls of sediment follow the complex currents. In this case, the pattern illustrates the inflow of water from the Atlantic (clear area) and the currents created by the Camarinal Sill in the waters of the Mediterranean east of the Strait.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 1/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (107.2 KB), 500m (295.6 KB), 250m (372.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
