• MODIS Pic of the Day 05 June 2022

    From Dan Richter@1:317/3 to All on Sun Jun 5 12:00:14 2022
    June 5, 2022 - Volga River Delta

    Volga River Delta
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    As the mighty Volga River—the largest river in Europe—meets the waters
    of the Caspian Sea, the rushing river slows dramatically, splitting
    into about 1,000 tangled channels and spreading out over an area of
    more than 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles) to create the
    largest delta in Europe. The Volga delta is also one of the
    lowest-lying large river delta on Earth, sitting near 27 meters (88.5
    feet) below sea level in the Caspian Depression. Part of the Volga
    Delta is actually submerged as much as 2.5 meters (8 feet) below the
    saline waters of the Caspian Sea. The complex structure creates a vast
    and unique ecosystem that, among other things, supports an amazing
    array of migratory and breeding bird species, including several
    threatened and endangered species.

    On June 2, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
    (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
    the Volga River Delta. The many tangled, tree-like channels create an
    area of rich green near the edge of the waters of the Caspian Sea.
    Muddy streaks can be seen extending from the edge well offshore, where
    the tan mixes with green-tinted water of the Caspian Sea.

    The green tint is likely a combination of sediment and phytoplankton.
    Sediment appears muddy tan when it floats near the surface, as can be
    seen in near-shore waters. As it sinks below the surface, the
    reflectivity changes and so does the color as seen from space. Sinking
    sediment appears various shades of green. Large quantities of
    phytoplankton, which are microscopic chlorophyl-containing organisms,
    can also impart shades of green to the surface of sea water.

    Image Facts
    Satellite: Terra
    Date Acquired: 6/2/2022
    Resolutions: 1km (130.5 KB), 500m (330.9 KB), 250m (733.9
    KB)
    Bands Used: 1,4,3
    Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



    https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-05

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