September 29, 2021 - Drought Along the Colorado River
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On September 21, 2021, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a
true-color image of the drought-stricken Colorado River as it courses
through southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona. The primarily ochre
landscape washed with white gives a distinctly parched impression.
However, to better appreciate the effect of the drought it is helpful
to compare two Aqua MODIS images, one captured recently and one
acquired when water levels were higher. The NASA Worldview App permits
an easy roll-over comparison between two images. To view the stark
differences between September 2021 and September 30, 2017, click
here.
Lake Powell, which is sometimes described as looking like a “snake that
ate a porcupine”, straddles the border of Utah and Arizona states and
is the second-largest reservoir by capacity in the United States. In
July 2021, water levels on the lake fell to the lowest point since 1969
and have continued dropping. According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, on
September 20, 2021, the water elevation at Glen Canyon Dam was 3,546.94
feet, which was more than 153 feet below “full pool” (elevation 3,700
feet) and the lake held just 30 percent of its capacity. At that point,
federal managers started releasing water from upstream reservoirs to
help keep Lake Powell from dropping below a threshold (3,490 feet) that
threatens hydropower equipment at the dam. Despite the releases, seven
days later, on September 27, the Lake Powell Water Database reported
that the water elevation was 3,545.83 feet, which is 1.11 feet less
than the previous week. Also, the lake was reported at 154.17 feet
below “full pool” and was 29.97 percent capacity.
NASA’s Earth Observatory recently published a detailed story discussing
the drought and its affect not only on Lake Powell but also on Lake
Mead (which lies below Lake Powell on the Colorado River) and the
entire Lower Colorado River water storage system. To read the story,
click here.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/21/2021
Resolutions: 1km (183 KB), 500m (519.9 KB), 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=2021-09-29
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