This pair
of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra
satellite use a combination of visible and infrared light
to make floodwaters obvious. Water is blue or nearly
black, vegetation is bright green, bare ground is tan,
and clouds are white or light blue.
On April 15, rivers and lakes are sharply defined
against a backdrop of vegetation and fallow agricultural
land. The Irrawaddy River flows south through the
left-hand side of the image, splitting into numerous
distributaries known as the Mouths of the Irrawaddy.
The wetlands near the shore are a deep blue green
