September 7, 2021 - Lakes Michigan and Huron
Follow @NASA_MODIS
Lakes
Tweet
Share
On September 2, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image
centered on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
Lake Michigan, in the west, is the only one of the five Great Lakes
that sits fully within the United States. All others, including Lake
Huron, are shared with Canada. At the northern end of the lakes, Lake
Michigan and Lake Huron are connected by a narrow channel. Measuring
only 4 to 5 miles wide (4.6 – 8 km), the Straits of Mackinac allow
water to flow between both of the lakes and is the primary reason that
Lakes Huron and Michigan are considered one giant lake, hydrologically
speaking. A small portion of western Lake Erie can also be seen in the
lower right (southeast) section of this image.
The brilliant streaks of green that colors Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay,
western Lake Erie, and the small Lake St. Clair (between Lakes Huron
and Erie) are most likely caused by blooms of microscopic organisms.
One common type of bloom is caused by cyanobacteria. Often referred to
as “blue-green algae”, cyanobacteria are not actually algae, but are
bacteria. They thrive in warm, nutrient-rich water such as found in
these three locations from mid-summer though October. Certain types of
cyanobacteria can produce toxins that are linked to illnesses in humans
and animals.
Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 9/2/2021
Resolutions: 1km (1.3 MB), 500m (1.9 MB), 250m (4.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2021-09-07
--- up 4 days, 21 hours, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)