February 13, 2022 - Greening in India and Pakistan
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On February 11, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of
verdant greening in northeastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The
deep green colors begin west of the Indus River and stretch over the
foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, which are capped with a thick
coat of bright white snow. Three major rivers can be easily seen, each
filled with muddy-colored sediment. The Indus lies furthest west, the
Chenab in the east and the Jhelum runs between the two. The Jhelum
flows into the Chenab, which eventually flows into the Indus River.
Circular tan areas within the green swath mark cities or towns. In some
areas, long tan lines can be seen traversing the landscape between
cities. These are roadways, often with development along the sides. The
largest city seen here is Lahore, Pakistan. Amritsar, India sits just
to the northeast of Lahore.
The greenest months in this rich agricultural region are typically
during or the monsoon season, which runs from June 1 to September 30.
After a very dry year, the 2021 monsoon rains came late – but some
rains fell after September, extending the season into October. Severe
storms brought heavy flooding to Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in
late December 2021-January 2022, as well as Oman, United Arab Emirates,
and Kuwait. Although the areas that were hit the hardest are west of
this image, the storms also brought rain to the borderlands – and, as
always, after the rains comes greening.
On June 8, 2021, the MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite acquired a
true-color image of the same region, which showed the parched land
waiting for monsoon rains. Thanks to the NASA Worldview App, it's easy
to view a comparison between that image and this one. To see the change
over time, click here .
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 2/11/2022
Resolutions: 1km (672 KB), 500m (1.9 MB), 250m (4.6 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=2022-02-13
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