April 25, 2023 - Gulf Coast of the United States

Gulf Coast
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On April 21, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a springtime view of
the Mississippi River Delta and a section of the nearby Gulf Coast. The
Delta, located in Louisiana, appears similar to a large bird’s foot
protruding into the Gulf of Mexico. To the east, the coasts of
Mississippi and Alabama are visible. The coast of Louisiana extends to
the west to meet the Texas coastline.

The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico along with abundant safe harbors
has spurred the development of major cities and ports. The largest city
visible is Houston, Texas which can be seen near the left (west) edge
of the image. Galveston sits along the coast southeast of Houston. Port
Arthur, Texas, can be seen as a collect of gray pixels east of
Galveston. It is located only 25 miles west of the border of Texas and
Louisiana.

In Louisiana, gray smudges mark an abundance of cities along the
southern section of the Mississippi River. The most famous of these is
New Orleans, which can be seen along the southern shore of Lake
Pontchartrain. The waters of the Mississippi River, Red River, and
Atchafalaya River are stained with mud in several locations as they
flow southward. Light-toned land on either side of the Mississippi
River is its alluvial floodplain—an area with rich soil and used
extensively for agriculture. The Mississippi River drains water and
sediment from 31 U.S. states, delivering both to the Gulf of Mexico via
the Atchafalaya and Mississippi River Deltas. Reddish-brown sediment
marks the location where the Atchafalaya River spills into the Gulf.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/22/2023
Resolutions: 1km (513 KB), 500m (1.3 MB), 250m (1.1 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=2023-04-25

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