Images
December 19, 2014 - Snow in central Asia
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The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of a snowy scene in central Asia on December 11, 2014.
Wisps of dull white clouds, which blow along the edge of a broad storm system, hang over bright white freshly fallen snow in Kazakhstan in the north of the image. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to the south, remain tan-colored and snow free.
The major lakes in Uzbekistan, such as the round Sarygamysh Lake in the southwest, and long Aydar Lake in the southeast, remain ice free. This strongly suggests that, despite the wintery conditions, temperatures have not yet been bitterly cold for long periods in this country. In contrast, the light blue waters of Kazakhstan’s Lake Balqash are topped by a thin layer of ice floating near the western shore, evidence of long lasting cold temperatures.
Crossing the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan the North Aral Sea remains ice free. The South Aral Sea is conspicuously absent from the scene, buried under the fresh snowfall. In late September, 2014, NASA confirmed that the South Aral Sea, shrinking since the 1960’s, had for the first time in modern history become completely dry. To learn more about the shrinking of the Aral Sea, using MODIS imagery, view a story published on August 19, 2014 by NASA’s Earth Observatory: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/11/2014
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of a snowy scene in central Asia on December 11, 2014.
Wisps of dull white clouds, which blow along the edge of a broad storm system, hang over bright white freshly fallen snow in Kazakhstan in the north of the image. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to the south, remain tan-colored and snow free.
The major lakes in Uzbekistan, such as the round Sarygamysh Lake in the southwest, and long Aydar Lake in the southeast, remain ice free. This strongly suggests that, despite the wintery conditions, temperatures have not yet been bitterly cold for long periods in this country. In contrast, the light blue waters of Kazakhstan’s Lake Balqash are topped by a thin layer of ice floating near the western shore, evidence of long lasting cold temperatures.
Crossing the border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan the North Aral Sea remains ice free. The South Aral Sea is conspicuously absent from the scene, buried under the fresh snowfall. In late September, 2014, NASA confirmed that the South Aral Sea, shrinking since the 1960’s, had for the first time in modern history become completely dry. To learn more about the shrinking of the Aral Sea, using MODIS imagery, view a story published on August 19, 2014 by NASA’s Earth Observatory: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/aral_sea.php
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/11/2014
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
