Flood water can be difficult to see in photo-like satellite
images, particularly when the water is muddy. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra
satellite uses 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.
Cyclone Nargis came ashore across the Mouths of the
Irrawaddy and followed the coastline northeast. The
entire coastal plain is flooded in this May 5 image. The fallow agricultural areas appear to have
been especially hard hit. For example, Yang?n
(population over 4 million) is almost completely
surrounded by floods. Several large cities (population
100,000-500,000) are in the affected area. Muddy
runoff colors the Gulf of Martaban turquoise.
The high-resolution image provided above is at
MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail)
of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response
Team provides twice-daily images of the region in
additional resolutions and formats, including photo-like
natural color.
