November 26, 2012 - Sediment plume from the Guadalquivir River, Spain

Sediment plume from the Guadalquivir River, Spain

In mid-November, 2012 the Guadalquivir River poured sediment into the Golfo de Cádiz (Gulf of Cádiz) along the southwestern coast of Spain. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 14.

A heavy sediment plume was first captured on November 12 by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite, and by November 16 MODIS imagery showed the plume nearly completely dissipated.

On this day, mid-way through the event, the tan plume reached deep into the Gulf waters in a generally eastward direction, then curled back toward the west, evidence of the complicated flow of the waters in the area. Compared to earlier images, by November 14 the area covered by sediment has expanded. Also, the edges of the plume appear less distinct that previously, indicating that the sediment may be both sinking and dispersing.

An earlier image of the event appeared as the MODIS Image of the Day for November 23, 2012. It can be viewed here: http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2012-11-23 .

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/14/2012
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC