December 16, 2021 - Mauritania
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Mauritania
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This stunning true-color image of western Mauritania was captured by
the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite on December 15. The clear skies of the sunny
spring day permitted a gorgeous view of the country’s orange sands,
rugged rock outcroppings, and offshore color.
Mauritania sits on the northwestern coast of Africa, where the arid
Sahara Desert meets the semi-arid Sahel. About three-fourths of the
country sits solidly within the Sahara Desert, and is comprised of flat
plains, a broken plateau made up of mesas (flat-topped hills), and
orange-colored sand dunes. The prevailing wind in this part Mauritania
blow from the northeast, lending to the sweeping, richly-colored,
orange streaks of sand that stretch from northeast to southwest in this
image.
The color off the coast is created by a combination of phytoplankton
and sediment. Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms that
contain chlorophyll and thrive in nutrient-rich water. The waters off
of Mauritania typically are rich in diatoms, one of the most common
type of phytoplankton found in oceans. They often reproduce
explosively, creating a large “bloom” that can be seen from space,
after strong storms mix the oceans and bring nutrients up from the
seafloor. The waters off of Mauritania are constantly in motion, thanks
to an upwelling caused by near-constant trade winds that roil the
surface, causing it to be displaced as it is blown away from the
African coast. As this occurs, the cold and nutrient-rich waters from
deep below the surface are pulled upward to the surface—carrying
nutrient-rich waters that feed a phytoplankton bloom. Because the
upwelling in this region is near-constant, phytoplankton feast
year-round in this location, and are frequently seen in satellite
images.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/15/2021
Resolutions: 1km (166.7 KB), 500m (429.2 KB), 250m (884.6
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=2021-12-16
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