June 28, 2022 - Swirls off the Pacific Northwest

Swirls off the Pacific Northwest
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Few clouds floated in the sky off the coast of the Pacific Northwest on
June 26, 2022, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on the Aqua satellite acquired a stunning and rare clear-sky,
true-color image of the region.

On land, the image captures a view of the Canadian province of British
Columbia (north), including Vancouver Island, and the U.S. state of
Washington and part of northern Oregon. The verdant deep greens are
coastal forest, both along the coast and on the lower mountain
elevations. Even though it is early summer, the high elevations remain
white with ice and snow. Low valleys and agricultural lands appear
lighter green.

South of Vancouver Island, sparse lines of cloud hover over a large
bloom of phytoplankton that tints the water with swirls of green and
turquoise. These microscopic plant-like organisms live in these waters
in small numbers year-round, but when upper layers of water are loaded
with nutrients (usually due to upwelling of cool, nutrient-rich water
from deep in the sea to the surface) and the water temperature and
sunlight hours are favorable, phytoplankton can reproduce explosively
to create massive “blooms” that can easily be seen from space. Blooms
are common in this location, especially in spring and summer.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/26/2022
Resolutions: 1km (510.2 KB), 500m (1.3 MB), 250m (3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-06-28

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