June 5, 2022 - Volga River Delta

Volga River Delta
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As the mighty Volga River—the largest river in Europe—meets the waters
of the Caspian Sea, the rushing river slows dramatically, splitting
into about 1,000 tangled channels and spreading out over an area of
more than 20,000 square kilometers (7,700 square miles) to create the
largest delta in Europe. The Volga delta is also one of the
lowest-lying large river delta on Earth, sitting near 27 meters (88.5
feet) below sea level in the Caspian Depression. Part of the Volga
Delta is actually submerged as much as 2.5 meters (8 feet) below the
saline waters of the Caspian Sea. The complex structure creates a vast
and unique ecosystem that, among other things, supports an amazing
array of migratory and breeding bird species, including several
threatened and endangered species.

On June 2, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
the Volga River Delta. The many tangled, tree-like channels create an
area of rich green near the edge of the waters of the Caspian Sea.
Muddy streaks can be seen extending from the edge well offshore, where
the tan mixes with green-tinted water of the Caspian Sea.

The green tint is likely a combination of sediment and phytoplankton.
Sediment appears muddy tan when it floats near the surface, as can be
seen in near-shore waters. As it sinks below the surface, the
reflectivity changes and so does the color as seen from space. Sinking
sediment appears various shades of green. Large quantities of
phytoplankton, which are microscopic chlorophyl-containing organisms,
can also impart shades of green to the surface of sea water.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 6/2/2022
Resolutions: 1km (130.5 KB), 500m (330.9 KB), 250m (733.9
KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-05

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