February 5, 2023 - Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
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Clouds of green and tufts of tan colored the waters of the northern
Persian Gulf in early February 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a
true-color image of the colorful scene on February 3.
The various hues are primarily caused by suspended sediment. Much of
the dirt clouding the water comes from the Shatt al Arab River, which
enters the Gulf in the north along the Iran-Iraq border. The river
drains the combined waters of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers of Iraq
and the Karun River of Iran. Though other rivers empty into the Persian
Gulf, the Shatt al Arab carries the most fresh water—and the most
sediment.
Sediment appears muddy-tan when it floats near the surface. As it
sinks, the reflectivity changes with depth, so the muddy hues give way
to green and finally blue as the sediment disperses. Some of the
sediment may be remnants of a large dust storm that covered much of the
Persian Gulf on February 1.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/3/2023
Resolutions: 1km (95.5 KB), 500m (220.7 KB), 250m (116.2
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=2023-02-05
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