All articles tagged with #modis
NASA’s Earth Observatory uses MODIS imagery from NASA’s Terra satellite to show the Bering Sea thaw as sea ice fragments break apart and sediment-laden coastal waters appear around Alaska’s Yukon Delta, signaling the approach of summer.
NASA satellites have detected a massive blue-green algal bloom along the U.S. East Coast (New Jersey to Virginia) that has grown since mid-April and is visible from space. The bloom is driven by river outflows, spring storms, and dense phytoplankton populations, and scientists are using MODIS imagery and the PACE mission to monitor its composition and spread. There are no signs of toxicity at present, and experts expect the bloom to fade in coming weeks unless nutrients persist.
NASA’s Earth Observatory highlights autumn fog in eastern Victoria as the Terra satellite’s MODIS instrument captures morning valley fog in the Victorian Alps and an arch-shaped cloud drifting over Port Phillip Bay. The piece explains radiation fog forms when air cools to the dew point in calm conditions, sinks into valleys, and lingers where terrain shades the ground; nearby breezes interacting with the bay’s terrain likely shaped the arch cloud, which moved south as the fog faded.
Sunglint is an optical phenomenon that occurs when sunlight reflects off the surface of the water at the same angle that a satellite sensor views it. It can create distinctive patterns within the bright, silvery appearance of much of the water. The roughness of the water surface can influence how sunglint areas appear in MODIS images. While sunglint often produces visually stunning images that are useful for inferring winds and detecting oil spills, the phenomenon can also create problems for remote sensing scientists because it can obscure features of interest.