January 3, 2022 - Bahamas
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This stunning true-color image of a portion of the Bahamas was acquired
by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite on December 16, 2021. The sparkling-clear sky
allows a detailed view of Andros Island in the west, Eleuthera Island
in the east, the bright jewel-tones of the Great Bahama Bank, and the
deep blue of a deep underwater canyon that separates Andros Island from
Eleuthera.
The largest island of the Bahamas, Andros measures about 100 miles (160
km) long and 45 miles (70 km) wide. The flat, forested island is
actually a conglomeration of multiple islands which are strung together
by a series of wetlands. To the west, the waters over the
limestone-rich mound known as the Great Bahama Banks are extremely
shallow—in some areas, only a food or two at most. Limestone is a
sedimentary rock formed by the skeletal fragments of sea creatures,
including corals and foraminifera, and this particular limestone
platform has been accumulating since at least the Cretaceous Period.
To the east of Andros, the sea floor abruptly plunges downward,
reaching a depth of about 14,060 feet (4,285 miles). This deep water
appears very dark, in brilliant contrast to the light color of the
shallowest areas of the Great Bahamas Bank. The submarine trench
appears to take the shape of a long tongue, giving this unique feature
the name of “Tongue of the Ocean”. Colorful wave-shaped ripples sit at
the southern edge of the Tongue. These are large underwater dunes that
have been shaped by the action of the waves over time.
Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 12/16/2021
Resolutions: 1km (17 KB), 500m (52.9 KB), 250m (158.6 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=2022-01-03
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