Images
October 23, 2021 - Springtime on New Zealand's South Island
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Snow caps the spine of New Zealand’s Southern Alps as sun shines on the springtime flush of green vegetation in late October 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on October 22.
The intense colors—ranging from deep brown to bright green to stark white—give New Zealand’s South Island its intense beauty. The tall peaks of the Southern Alps retain snow year-round and divide the country into the extremely moist western shores and the dryer land east of the mountains. The highest peak in New Zealand is Aoraki/Mount Cook, which rises to 12,316 feet (3,754 meters).
Bright colors tint the waters of the Tasman Sea off the western coast. These jewel-tones are the result of a bloom of small plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton. Present in these waters year-round in small numbers, when temperatures, sunlight length, and nutrient availability are just right, the organisms reproduce explosively creating huge blooms that can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/22/2021
Resolutions:
1km (440.4 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (2.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Snow caps the spine of New Zealand’s Southern Alps as sun shines on the springtime flush of green vegetation in late October 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on October 22.
The intense colors—ranging from deep brown to bright green to stark white—give New Zealand’s South Island its intense beauty. The tall peaks of the Southern Alps retain snow year-round and divide the country into the extremely moist western shores and the dryer land east of the mountains. The highest peak in New Zealand is Aoraki/Mount Cook, which rises to 12,316 feet (3,754 meters).
Bright colors tint the waters of the Tasman Sea off the western coast. These jewel-tones are the result of a bloom of small plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton. Present in these waters year-round in small numbers, when temperatures, sunlight length, and nutrient availability are just right, the organisms reproduce explosively creating huge blooms that can easily be seen from space.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/22/2021
Resolutions:
1km (440.4 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (2.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
