Tag Archives: MODIS

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Just noticed this on the MODIS  sensor on the TERRA satellite image from 10 September 2016.  (Tile Antarctica_rc05c01 if you are interested in that sort of thing)

Antarctic Sound on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula 10 Sept 2016
Antarctic Sound on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula 10 Sept 2016

The Antarctic sea ice ice extent map for 10 September 2016 shows an interesting and large low concentration right at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula

The sea ice extent around Antarctic 10 September 2016. Yellow box is roughly where the MODIS image is, and Antarctic Sound is labelled. Data from DMSP SMMI
The sea ice extent around Antarctic 10 September 2016. Yellow box is roughly where the MODIS image is, and Antarctic Sound is labelled. Data from DMSP SMMI

So why the missing sea ice at the top of the Peninsula?  It could be a storm, or could be heat from the ocean keeping the area ice free. I'll have a look at the data when I've time, but for now I would bet on the ocean.

Interestingly historically it has been a bit of a tough place. Otto Nordenskjöld navigated the sound in December 1902 on the Swedish Antarctic Expedition before their ship, the Antarctic was crushed and lost. They were stranded for two years...

Yet more beautiful MODIS imagery showing some wonderful patterns in a plankton bloom in the Barents Sea.

Plankton patterns in the Barents Sea
Plankton patterns in the Barents Sea

The screen grab is from the 250m resolution imagery, and the whole arctic panel shows just where the bloom is located.

The Arctic on 29 July 2015 in MODIS imagery
The Arctic on 29 July 2015 in MODIS imagery

This particular region seems to show plankton blooms regularly in the MODIS imagery and the Wikipedia page has a similar (but not as nice) image dated summer 2009.

 

 

There is a lot happening at the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet as summer progresses, and the MODIS sensor on the TERRA and AQUA satellites is a wonderful way to observe it.

I noticed the other day (8 July 2015) this beautiful image of fast ice breaking out of a Fjord on the east coast at 76N

Fast ice breaking out of an East Greenland fjord
Fast ice breaking out of an East Greenland fjord

The full image can get down to 250 m per pixel and it is amazing stuff. The image below (from Google Earth) shows the location.

Location of the enlargment
Location of the enlargement

And now in the 9 July MODIS image you can see very many large pools of water on the edge of the Greenland Ice sheet. Again, remember each pixel of this image is 250 m across - they look small but that are large pools.

...continue reading

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The MODIS sensor satellite imagery is showing a beautiful and evolving large plankton bloom in the Chukchi Sea at the moment.

Plankton bloom in the Chukchi Sea, as seen in the MODIS sensor on 23 June 2015.
Plankton bloom in the Chukchi Sea, as seen in the MODIS sensor on 23 June 2015. Alaska is on the LEFT and Russia the RIGHT. The image is looking SOUTH.

The plankton are the lighter green bands I've labelled and the full image is available at an astonishing 250m resolution.

...continue reading

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I very much like looking at the AQUA and TERRA MODIS sensor images every now and then. Today I saw this beautiful image off the southern tip of Greenland which was captured on 23rd February 2015.

Sea ice off Cape Farewell
Sea ice off Cape Farewell, Greenland

What you are looking at are three different white things: snow on Greenland, clouds and my favorite of course, the sea ice. You may find it hard to pick out the different white features. This is because it is a true colour image.

But as the MODIS web site says:

[the] detectors measure 36 spectral bands between 0.405 and 14.385 µm, and it acquires data at three spatial resolutions -- 250m, 500m, and 1,000m.

...continue reading