Images
November 5, 2020 - The Great Lakes
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On November 5, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of an autumn scene encompassing three of the Great Lakes. The five Great Lakes span more than 750 miles (1,200 km) from west to east and include Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Each of the lakes are shared by the United States (south) and Canada (north) to provide water for recreation, power, consumption, power, agricultural and other uses.
This image captures part of Lake Huron (northwest), Lake Erie (south), and Lake Ontario (east). Notice the colorful swirls in Lake Erie and near the coastline of Lake Huron. These areas are generally shallow, making it easier for wind-driven waves to strip up sediment from the bottom and bring it near the surface. Suspended sediment can often be viewed in Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes and, at times, algae, or phytoplankton – microscopic plant-like organisms – can add to the color.
The land around the Great Lakes is rich in agriculture and hosts many large cities. According to the US EPA, the Great Lakes Basin provides nearly 25 percent of Canadian agricultural production and 7% of American farm production while housing roughly 10% of the U.S. population and more than 30% of the Canadian population. Tan-colored lands in this image are primarily agricultural, colored with the stubble of end-of-season crops. Deep greens mark forests of fir, pine, and spruce, which retain their needles through the winter after deciduous trees have lost their leaves. Groups of gray pixels mark the handiwork of humans and are especially notable in large cities. Detroit, Michigan appears like a spider-web on the Detroit River, west of Lake Erie and near the border between the US and Canada. Cleveland, Ohio, United States, can be seen on the south shore of Lake Erie and Toronto, Ontario, Canada sits on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/5/2020
Resolutions:
1km (47.4 KB), 500m (185.3 KB), 250m (582.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On November 5, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of an autumn scene encompassing three of the Great Lakes. The five Great Lakes span more than 750 miles (1,200 km) from west to east and include Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Each of the lakes are shared by the United States (south) and Canada (north) to provide water for recreation, power, consumption, power, agricultural and other uses.
This image captures part of Lake Huron (northwest), Lake Erie (south), and Lake Ontario (east). Notice the colorful swirls in Lake Erie and near the coastline of Lake Huron. These areas are generally shallow, making it easier for wind-driven waves to strip up sediment from the bottom and bring it near the surface. Suspended sediment can often be viewed in Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes and, at times, algae, or phytoplankton – microscopic plant-like organisms – can add to the color.
The land around the Great Lakes is rich in agriculture and hosts many large cities. According to the US EPA, the Great Lakes Basin provides nearly 25 percent of Canadian agricultural production and 7% of American farm production while housing roughly 10% of the U.S. population and more than 30% of the Canadian population. Tan-colored lands in this image are primarily agricultural, colored with the stubble of end-of-season crops. Deep greens mark forests of fir, pine, and spruce, which retain their needles through the winter after deciduous trees have lost their leaves. Groups of gray pixels mark the handiwork of humans and are especially notable in large cities. Detroit, Michigan appears like a spider-web on the Detroit River, west of Lake Erie and near the border between the US and Canada. Cleveland, Ohio, United States, can be seen on the south shore of Lake Erie and Toronto, Ontario, Canada sits on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 11/5/2020
Resolutions:
1km (47.4 KB), 500m (185.3 KB), 250m (582.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
