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Himalayas Exaggerated (Draft
…
| Title |
Himalayas Exaggerated (Draft) |
| Abstract |
Satellite photographs (from Terra-MODIS) and computer-generated models help visualize Bangladesh's place in the world. Located in South Asia, it is virtually surrounded by India and the Bay of Bengal to the south. But in many ways, the country's fate is dominated by the world's highest mountain range looming to the north-the Himalayas. |
| Completed |
2002-01-23 |
|
Himalayas Exaggerated (Draft
…
| Title |
Himalayas Exaggerated (Draft) |
| Abstract |
Satellite photographs (from Terra-MODIS) and computer-generated models help visualize Bangladesh's place in the world. Located in South Asia, it is virtually surrounded by India and the Bay of Bengal to the south. But in many ways, the country's fate is dominated by the world's highest mountain range looming to the north-the Himalayas. |
| Completed |
2002-01-23 |
|
Himalayas Exaggerated (versi
…
| Title |
Himalayas Exaggerated (version 2.2) |
| Abstract |
Satellite photographs (from Terra-MODIS) and computer-generated models help visualize Bangladesh's place in the world. Located in South Asia, it is virtually surrounded by India and the Bay of Bengal to the south. But in many ways, the country's fate is dominated by the world's highest mountain range looming to the north-the Himalayas. |
| Completed |
2002-04-18 |
|
Himalayas Exaggerated (versi
…
| Title |
Himalayas Exaggerated (version 2.2) |
| Abstract |
Satellite photographs (from Terra-MODIS) and computer-generated models help visualize Bangladesh's place in the world. Located in South Asia, it is virtually surrounded by India and the Bay of Bengal to the south. But in many ways, the country's fate is dominated by the world's highest mountain range looming to the north-the Himalayas. |
| Completed |
2002-04-18 |
|
Haze along the Himalaya Fron
…
| Title |
Haze along the Himalaya Front Range |
| Description |
A river of haze follows the course of the Ganges River in northern India, flowing eastward along the base of the towering, snow-capped Himalaya Mountains (upper right) before turning south over Bangladesh and then spreading out in gray streamers over the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean (lower right). Although the pollution comes from human activities,?agricultural fires, home heating sources that rely on wood, kerosene, or dung, and industrial and vehicle emissions?it lingers because of topography and atmospheric circulation patterns. In the winter phase of the Indian Ocean Monsoon, winds typically blow seaward, which carries the large, thick "brown cloud" of pollution far out over the ocean. Recently, NASA scientists announced that the visible particles of soot that give the polluted air its name aren't the only component of the brown cloud that the atmosphere transports over long distances. The plume also contains ozone, which is beneficial to humans when it is located way above the Earth in the stratosphere, but harmful when it is located closer to the Earth in the troposphere. Ozone spreads even farther away from the original source than the soot particles. Convection over the ocean sucks the ozone high into the air where it enters wider-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. These patterns spread the ozone westward across the Indian Ocean, Africa, and onward to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, the ozone from the Asian brown cloud gets mixed together with ozone from agricultural fires in Africa, as well as with ozone from the stratosphere which occasionally gets mixed down to lower altitudes. The long-range transport of ozone from these sources explains why such high levels of tropospheric ozone are observed in the air over the South Atlantic Ocean, far from the source of the emissions. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Haze and Sediment in Banglad
…
| Title |
Haze and Sediment in Bangladesh and India |
| Description |
On January 27, 2007, haze sprawled from the southern edge of the Himalaya Mountains southward over the Bay of Bengal. In between, it clouded the skies over northern India and Bangladesh. In the south, thick sediment colored the Mouth of the Ganges shades of pale brown and blue-green. Such sediment is a natural occurrence, although land-use changes such as deforestation and agriculture can increase the sediment volume. The haze, mostly a mixture of urban and industrial pollution, often collects at the base of the mountains in the wintertime. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite captured this image on January 27, 2007. In this image, the haze appears thickest in the northwest. It thins toward the south, but haze is still clearly visible over the ocean. The haze appears to follow a distinct path toward the ocean, concentrating over the border between India and western Bangladesh. Farther west in India, and on the east side of Bangladesh, skies appear clear. Along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, the dark green Sundarbans [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundarbans ] mangrove forests stand out from the otherwise brown landscape. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Deadly Floods Sweep Across N
…
| Title |
Deadly Floods Sweep Across Northeastern India |
| Description |
A tropical depression moved in from the Bay of Bengal during the first week of October 2004, pounding Bangladesh and Northeastern India with heavy rain for several days. Starting on October 9, flash floods ran through the foothills of the Himalaya, killing over 150, according to the most recent media reports. The majority of the deaths occurred in the Goalpara Region of the Assam state in northeastern India, shown in the above images. The twisted braids of the Brahmaputra River, the top river, were greatly swollen on October 12 when compared to the river's size on October 2. More astonishing is the flooding observed along the Jamuna River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The river has expanded from a thin line, barely visible on October 2 to a massive lake that is more than 125 kilometers in width in places. In both images, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]), water is dark blue and black, clouds are light blue, and vegetation is green. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Both the October 12 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2004286 ] and October 2 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2004276 ] images are available in additional resolutions and formats, including a true-color view. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Deadly Floods Sweep Across N
…
| Title |
Deadly Floods Sweep Across Northeastern India |
| Description |
A tropical depression moved in from the Bay of Bengal during the first week of October 2004, pounding Bangladesh and Northeastern India with heavy rain for several days. Starting on October 9, flash floods ran through the foothills of the Himalaya, killing over 150, according to the most recent media reports. The majority of the deaths occurred in the Goalpara Region of the Assam state in northeastern India, shown in the above images. The twisted braids of the Brahmaputra River, the top river, were greatly swollen on October 12 when compared to the river's size on October 2. More astonishing is the flooding observed along the Jamuna River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra. The river has expanded from a thin line, barely visible on October 2 to a massive lake that is more than 125 kilometers in width in places. In both images, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]), water is dark blue and black, clouds are light blue, and vegetation is green. The large images provided above are at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Both the October 12 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2004286 ] and October 2 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2004276 ] images are available in additional resolutions and formats, including a true-color view. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Monsoon Floods in Northern I
…
| Title |
Monsoon Floods in Northern India |
| Description |
The combined impact of a tropical cyclone and monsoon rains drove the many branches of the Ganges River in the Sundarbans delta of eastern India over their banks in late September 2006. The most notably flooded river in the top Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image, collected by NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 26, is the Hugli River, which has spread several kilometers over its flood plain compared to conditions nine days earlier (lower image). The Hugli River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17410 ] (also Hooghly) branches off the Ganges about 200 kilometers north of Kolkata (Calcutta) and flows south past the city through the state of West Bengal to drain into the Bay of Bengal. Though the city of Kolkata is obscured by clouds in the flood scene (it's the tan region near the bottom of the lower image), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that floods in the city forced more than 2,000 people from their homes. The cloud-free region around the city reveals extensive flooding, with water forming black or dark blue streaks and pools on the bright green, vegetated land. Additional flooding is visible along the Hugli and other branches of the Ganges in the large image. These images were created using both visible and infrared light to allow water to stand out from the land. In these images, clouds are pale blue and white, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, and bare or sparsely vegetated land (like the city) is tan. Additional infrared images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2006269 ] and photo-like images of India are available from the |
|
Monsoon Floods in Northern I
…
| Title |
Monsoon Floods in Northern India |
| Description |
The combined impact of a tropical cyclone and monsoon rains drove the many branches of the Ganges River in the Sundarbans delta of eastern India over their banks in late September 2006. The most notably flooded river in the top Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image, collected by NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on September 26, is the Hugli River, which has spread several kilometers over its flood plain compared to conditions nine days earlier (lower image). The Hugli River [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17410 ] (also Hooghly) branches off the Ganges about 200 kilometers north of Kolkata (Calcutta) and flows south past the city through the state of West Bengal to drain into the Bay of Bengal. Though the city of Kolkata is obscured by clouds in the flood scene (it's the tan region near the bottom of the lower image), the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that floods in the city forced more than 2,000 people from their homes. The cloud-free region around the city reveals extensive flooding, with water forming black or dark blue streaks and pools on the bright green, vegetated land. Additional flooding is visible along the Hugli and other branches of the Ganges in the large image. These images were created using both visible and infrared light to allow water to stand out from the land. In these images, clouds are pale blue and white, water is dark blue or black, plant-covered land is green, and bare or sparsely vegetated land (like the city) is tan. Additional infrared images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2006269 ] and photo-like images of India are available from the |
|
Fires in Eastern India
| Title |
Fires in Eastern India |
| Description |
On March 5, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected fires (marked in red) in eastern India (bottom left), northeast India (top right), and western Myanmar (bottom right). A few scattered fires were detected in Bangladesh (center). In this false-color image of this scene, dark reddish burn scars stand out against bright green vegetation. A true-color image is also available. In Bangladesh, the Ganges River flows in from the west and meets up with the Brahmaputra River flowing in from the east. The two rivers join and flow out to the Bay of Bengal through the Mouths of the Ganges. At top are the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Eastern India
| Title |
Fires in Eastern India |
| Description |
Smoke hangs over eastern India and the Indian Ocean in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from the Aqua satellite on March 8, 2003. Dozens of fires were detected by MODIS and are marked with red dots. At upper right, sediments in the waters of the Mouths of the Ganges River color the Bay of Bengal light tan. At far upper right is Bangladesh. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Eastern India
| Title |
Fires in Eastern India |
| Description |
On March 5, 2003, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite detected fires (marked in red) in eastern India (bottom left), northeast India (top right), and western Myanmar (bottom right). A few scattered fires were detected in Bangladesh (center). In the false-color image of this scene, dark reddish burn scars stand out against bright green vegetation. In Bangladesh, the Ganges River flows in from the west and meets up with the Brahmaputra River flowing in from the east. The two rivers join and flow out to the Bay of Bengal through the Mouths of the Ganges. At top are the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Smog over the Bay of Bengal
| Title |
Smog over the Bay of Bengal |
| Description |
Against the arcing backdrop of the Himalaya Mountains (top of image), rivers of grayish haze follow the courses of the Ganges River and its tributaries (left) and the Brahmaputra River (right) on February 1, 2006. The plumes appear to combine like their watery counterparts and flow out together over the Bay of Bengal past the Mouths of the Ganges, the multi-pronged delta of the river along the Bangladesh coast. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Scientists studying the cloud of haze that frequently lingers over parts of Asia from Pakistan to China and even the Indian and Pacific Oceans have called the pollution the "Asian Brown Cloud." The mix of aerosols (tiny particles suspended in the air) includes smoke from agricultural and home heating and cooking fires, vehicle exhaust, and industrial emissions. In addition to the respiratory problems the persistent haze can cause, it also appears to hinder crops by blocking sunlight and could be altering regional weather. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of fires burning in Southeast Asia on April 3, 2003. The fires, outlined in red, are spread very heavily throughout eastern Myanmar (center) and are likely agricultural in origin. Fire is often used to clear fields and pasture to prepare for new plant growth, though the smoke from these fires adversely affects local air quality. In this image, winds blow the grayish-blue smoke to the east over neighboring countries and towards the Gulf of Tonking (right edge) and the South China Sea (not visible). Clockwise from top left, the countries shown are India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Bangladesh (upper left edge). To the southwest of Myanmar is the Bay of Bengal, due south is the Andaman Sea. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia
| Title |
Fires in Southeast Asia |
| Description |
West of where the myriad channels of the Ganges River flow into the Bay of Bengal, numerous fires were burning in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar on April 4, 2005. This image of the area on that day was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite. Locations where MODIS detected actively burning fires are outlined in red. The image, which is centered farther west than previous images in this series, focuses closely on scores of fires burning in India, just across the southeastern border of Bangladesh. In the large version of the image, fires are scattered across a wide portion of all three countries. Many of the fires are emitting large plumes of smoke, which drifts eastward. MODIS cannot tell us specifically whether a fire is naturally occurring or caused by humans. However, the region's monsoonal climate is wrapping up its dry phase, which is typically a time for agricultural burning. In addition, Southeast Asia is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades, which may be elevating the risk of both accidental and natural wildfires. The fires detected by MODIS, therefore, may be a mixture of both types of burning. The large image provided above has a spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapeidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] provides the image at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh/2005094/FAS_Bangladesh.2005094.aqua ] Image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA-GSFC |
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Thick Haze Over Northern Ind
…
| Title |
Thick Haze Over Northern India |
| Description |
The skies over Northern India are filled with a thick soup of aerosol particles all along the southern edge of the Himalayan Mountains, and streaming southward over Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. Notice that the air over the Tibetan Plateau to the north of the Himalayas is very clear, whereas the view of the land surface south of the mountains is obstructed by the brownish haze. Most of this air pollution comes from human activities. The aerosol over this region is notoriously rich in sulfates, nitrates, organic and black carbon, and fly ash. These particles not only represent a health hazard to those people living in the region, but scientists have also recently found that they can have a significant impact on the region's hydrological cycle and climate (click to read the relevant NASA press release [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2001/200108135050.html ]). This true-color image was acquired on December 4, 2001, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. It is interesting to compare the image above with this earlier MODIS image over the region, acquired on October 23, 2001 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5258 ]. Notice the difference in the clarity of the air over the region in the earlier image. Under the thick plume of aerosol, the Brahmaputra (upper right) and Ganges Rivers are still visible. The many mouths of the Ganges have turned the northern waters of the Bay of Bengal a murky brown as they empty their sediment-laden waters into the bay. Toward the upper lefthand corner of the image, there appears to be a fresh swath of snow on the ground just south of the Himalayas. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Thick Haze Over Northern Ind
…
| Title |
Thick Haze Over Northern India |
| Description |
The skies over Northern India are filled with a thick soup of aerosol particles all along the southern edge of the Himalayan Mountains, and streaming southward over Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. Notice that the air over the Tibetan Plateau to the north of the Himalayas is very clear, whereas the view of the land surface south of the mountains is obstructed by the brownish haze. Most of this air pollution comes from human activities. The aerosol over this region is notoriously rich in sulfates, nitrates, organic and black carbon, and fly ash. These particles not only represent a health hazard to those people living in the region, but scientists have also recently found that they can have a significant impact on the region's hydrological cycle and climate (click to read the relevant NASA press release [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2001/200108135050.html ]). This true-color image was acquired on January 14, 2002, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Tropical Cyclone Sidr
| Title |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr |
| Description |
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was continuing its northward progress over the Bay of Bengal on November 14, 2007. It was moving north toward the Mouths of the Ganges at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour (8 miles per hour), and winds in the storm system were raging at 220 km/hr (140 mph) near the storm's center, making it a Category 4 strength [ http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml ] tropical cyclone. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this photo-like image at 10:15 a.m. local time (4:45 UTC) on November 14, 2007. Tropical Cyclone Sidr appears here as a well-developed and distinct ball of circling clouds, the storm has a distinct but cloudy eye at its center. An extended arm of clouds reaches northward from the storm across Bangladesh, bringing the influence of the storm onshore already even though it was hundreds of kilometers to the south. Western Bangladesh, where the storm appeared to be headed as of November 15, is the most heavily populated low-lying area in the world, with a history of severe causalities from previous storms due to both direct flooding and storm surge. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center [ https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.php ] was predicting that the storm would weaken, but still make landfall with hurricane-force winds. In 1970, a Category 3 storm that made landfall in the same vicinity caused 300,000 deaths and was one of the most deadly natural disasters in modern history. Another 138,000 people perished in 1991 from another such cyclone. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
India's annual monsoon triggered widespread flooding throughout the country in early July 2007. In West Bengal, ABC News [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/08/1972766.htm ] reported, nearly a million people were stranded by flooding. Every major river in the East Indian state was swollen from torrential rain and releases from too-full reservoirs, ABC added. As of July 10, at least 187 people had died and 7 million had been affected by flooding across India, said Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSDEL267798._CH_.2400 ] This image shows extensive flooding in West Bengal (top) and northern Orissa (lower left) as seen by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on July 9, 2007. The lower image was taken on May 31, before the monsoon rains started. In this type of image, water is typically black, as seen in the Bay of Bengal. However, the water is heavily laden with mud in the flooded landscape, so its coloring is light blue. The extensive floods cut between the channels of the Ganges River, which flow into the Bay of Bengal in the center of the image, and extend southwest along the coast. Additional flooding is visible in the large image, which shows a broader area. Clouds, which appear light blue and white in this image made from infrared and visible light, cover the floods in Bangladesh to the east. In addition to causing floods, the monsoon rains have brought new life to eastern India. The landscape has gone from the tan-pink of bare earth to the bright green that indicates plant cover. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/eindia_tmo_2007190.kmz ] and comparison imagery from May 31, suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
India's annual monsoon triggered widespread flooding throughout the country in early July 2007. In West Bengal, ABC News [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/08/1972766.htm ] reported, nearly a million people were stranded by flooding. Every major river in the East Indian state was swollen from torrential rain and releases from too-full reservoirs, ABC added. As of July 10, at least 187 people had died and 7 million had been affected by flooding across India, said Reuters. [ http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSDEL267798._CH_.2400 ] This image shows extensive flooding in West Bengal (top) and northern Orissa (lower left) as seen by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on July 9, 2007. The lower image was taken on May 31, before the monsoon rains started. In this type of image, water is typically black, as seen in the Bay of Bengal. However, the water is heavily laden with mud in the flooded landscape, so its coloring is light blue. The extensive floods cut between the channels of the Ganges River, which flow into the Bay of Bengal in the center of the image, and extend southwest along the coast. Additional flooding is visible in the large image, which shows a broader area. Clouds, which appear light blue and white in this image made from infrared and visible light, cover the floods in Bangladesh to the east. In addition to causing floods, the monsoon rains have brought new life to eastern India. The landscape has gone from the tan-pink of bare earth to the bright green that indicates plant cover. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/eindia_tmo_2007190.kmz ] and comparison imagery from May 31, suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
|
Flooding in Eastern India
| Title |
Flooding in Eastern India |
| Description |
Abutting the southern front of the snow-clad Himalaya Mountains, the broad, flat Ganges Plain is laced with rivers that transport glacial melt to the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea. Not surprisingly, these rivers lead something of a Dr. Jekyll–Mr. Hyde existence: during the dry winter, the rivers are small and sedate, their headwaters largely locked in ice. In the summer, temperatures in the mountains climb, melting mountain-top snow and fueling the Asian monsoon, and the rivers swell into roaring giants. Not every year is the same however—the monsoon may be wetter in a particular year or winter snows might be greater, leading to more snowmelt—and 2007 numbered among the more extreme flood years. Heavy rain throughout July pushed the Ganges and its many tributaries over their banks, submerging large tracts of land in northeastern India. As of August 3, nearly 20 million people had been displaced in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and 125 had died in India, reported BBC News. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6927389.stm ] Among the most severely hit states was India's northeastern Bihar state. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) flying on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of flooding on the Ganges and its tributaries on August 3, 2007. The lower image, captured by Aqua MODIS on June 4, 2007, shows the plain before the summer monsoon and snowmelt swelled the rivers. In these images (made with a combination of infrared and visible light), water is black or dark blue. Water takes on a brighter shade of blue when tinged with sediment. Clouds, pale blue and white, are scattered over the flooded region, which is bright green with vegetation. Sparsely vegetated areas or bare earth in the lower image are rose-tinted tan. On August 3, the Ganges, Gandak, and Kosi Rivers were so swollen that it was hard to see exactly where the rivers normally flow. The tributaries that feed the Kosi River, not even visible on June 4, have combined in a vast web of water-covered land. The light blue area under the clouds in the lower left corner of the image is probably water-soaked earth, not standing water. Though destructive, seasonal flooding in the Ganges River system blankets the plain with fertile alluvial soil, making it productive farmland. Because the plain is so fertile, it is one of the most densely populated regions on Earth.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India3/2007215 ] of northeastern India are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System in both false color, as shown here, and photo-like true color. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
| Title |
Tropical Storm brings Heavy Rains to Burma |
| Description |
Unnamed tropical storm 02B came ashore along the northwest coast of Burma (Myanmar) on the 19th of May 2004 bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. The system formed in the northern Bay of Bengal on May 17, and moved east as a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 60 knots (69 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as it crossed the coast of Burma. The system came ashore near the port city of Sittwe not far from the border with Bangladesh. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals for the region surrounding the northern Bay of Bengal are shown for the period 12-19 May 2004. Up to 20 inches of rain (darkest red areas) fell over the foothills and southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains over northeastern Indian and Bhutan and along the north east coastline of the Bay of Bengal over far western Burma and southern Bangladesh. The heavy rain over western Burma and southern Bangladesh was a direct result of tropical storm 02B, while most of the heavy rain farther north along the slopes of the Himalayas was a result of low pressure centered over northern India and Nepal drawing moisture up from the Bay of Bengal earlier in the period. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
| Title |
Tropical Storm brings Heavy Rains to Burma |
| Description |
Unnamed tropical storm 02B came ashore along the northwest coast of Burma (Myanmar) on the 19th of May 2004 bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. The system formed in the northern Bay of Bengal on May 17, and moved east as a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 60 knots (69 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as it crossed the coast of Burma. The system came ashore near the port city of Sittwe not far from the border with Bangladesh. The TRMM-based, near-real time Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (MPA) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center monitors rainfall over the global tropics. MPA rainfall totals for the region surrounding the northern Bay of Bengal are shown for the period 12-19 May 2004. Up to 20 inches of rain (darkest red areas) fell over the foothills and southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains over northeastern Indian and Bhutan and along the north east coastline of the Bay of Bengal over far western Burma and southern Bangladesh. The heavy rain over western Burma and southern Bangladesh was a direct result of tropical storm 02B, while most of the heavy rain farther north along the slopes of the Himalayas was a result of low pressure centered over northern India and Nepal drawing moisture up from the Bay of Bengal earlier in the period. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
| Title |
Tropical Storm brings Heavy Rains to Burma |
| Description |
Unnamed tropical storm 02B came ashore along the northwest coast of Burma (Myanmar) on the May 19, 2004, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. The system formed in the northern Bay of Bengal on May 17, and moved east as a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 60 knots (69 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as it crossed the coast of Burma. The system came ashore near the port city of Sittwe not far from the border with Bangladesh. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite measures rainfall over the global tropics using both active and passive sensors. TRMM snapped this image of tropical storm 02B inland over Burma. Taken at 11:47 UTC on the 19th, it shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) in the center swath and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) in the outer swath overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). The image shows that the system has weakened over land as the center of the storm is surrounded mainly by light (blue) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain with the southern part nearly void of rain. Further south of the center, part of a more intense rain area (dark red) is visible in a rainband. The strong convective storms (dark red centers) well west of the tropical storm located just west of Bangladesh over India are not associated with the tropical storm. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
| Title |
Tropical Storm brings Heavy Rains to Burma |
| Description |
Unnamed tropical storm 02B came ashore along the northwest coast of Burma (Myanmar) on the May 19, 2004, bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. The system formed in the northern Bay of Bengal on May 17, and moved east as a strong tropical storm with maximum sustained winds estimated at 60 knots (69 mph) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as it crossed the coast of Burma. The system came ashore near the port city of Sittwe not far from the border with Bangladesh. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite measures rainfall over the global tropics using both active and passive sensors. TRMM snapped this image of tropical storm 02B inland over Burma. Taken at 11:47 UTC on the 19th, it shows the horizontal distribution of rain intensity from the TRMM Precipitation Radar (PR) in the center swath and the TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) in the outer swath overlaid on infrared (IR) data from the TRMM Visible Infrared Scanner (VIRS). The image shows that the system has weakened over land as the center of the storm is surrounded mainly by light (blue) to occasionally moderate (green areas) rain with the southern part nearly void of rain. Further south of the center, part of a more intense rain area (dark red) is visible in a rainband. The strong convective storms (dark red centers) well west of the tropical storm located just west of Bangladesh over India are not associated with the tropical storm. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA. Image produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC) and caption by Steve Lang (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Floods in Bangladesh
| Title |
Floods in Bangladesh |
| Description |
Dozens of villages were inundated when rain pushed the rivers of northwestern Bangladesh over their banks in early October 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the flooded Ghaghat and Atrai Rivers on October 12, 2005. The deep blue of the rivers is spread across the countryside in the flood image, and a few clouds—light blue and white in this false-color treatment—cover the region. Low-lying Bangladesh floods often. The country is built over the flood plains of three major rivers, the Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Ganges Rivers. The three rivers converge in Bangladesh and empty into the Bay of Bengal through the largest river delta in the world. The flat land within each flood plain is fertile, and the country is densely populated. As a result, floods on any of the three rivers can affect a vast number of people. When all of the rivers run high with monsoon rains and melting snow from the Himalaya Mountains (the source of the rivers), much of Bangladesh can be under water. See Asian Monsoons [ http://earthbulletin.amnh.org/C/3/2/index.html ] from the American Museum of Natural History to learn more.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh ] of Bangladesh are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Bangladesh
| Title |
Floods in Bangladesh |
| Description |
Dozens of villages were inundated when rain pushed the rivers of northwestern Bangladesh over their banks in early October 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the flooded Ghaghat and Atrai Rivers on October 12, 2005. The deep blue of the rivers is spread across the countryside in the flood image, and a few clouds—light blue and white in this false-color treatment—cover the region. Low-lying Bangladesh floods often. The country is built over the flood plains of three major rivers, the Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Ganges Rivers. The three rivers converge in Bangladesh and empty into the Bay of Bengal through the largest river delta in the world. The flat land within each flood plain is fertile, and the country is densely populated. As a result, floods on any of the three rivers can affect a vast number of people. When all of the rivers run high with monsoon rains and melting snow from the Himalaya Mountains (the source of the rivers), much of Bangladesh can be under water. See Asian Monsoons [ http://earthbulletin.amnh.org/C/3/2/index.html ] from the American Museum of Natural History to learn more.Daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_Bangladesh ] of Bangladesh are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Floods in Bangladesh
| Title |
Floods in Bangladesh |
| Description |
Bangladesh's annual monsoon started with unusually heavy rain, intensified by a storm from the Bay of Bengal on June 9-10, 2007. By June 11, more than one-third of the southeastern coastal city of Chittagong was under water, reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1948143.htm ] In addition to the floods, the rains triggered devastating landslides in the deforested hills on which the city is built. The country-wide death toll from the floods and landslides neared 130 on June 12, said Reuters. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-744DMF?OpenDocument ] Most of the deaths were a result of the landslides or from buildings collapsing in the rain. This image shows rainfall totals over Bangladesh between June 4 and June 11, 2007. The rainfall totals are from the Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis, which is based on measurements from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM [ http://trmm.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]) satellite. Rainfall totals range from 0 to 100 millimeters (4 inches), shown in blue, to 400 mm (15.7 inches) to 500 mm (19.7 inches), shown in red. Most of the country received between 200 and 300 millimeters (7.9 to 11.8 inches) of rain during the week-long period, though there are several pockets of heavier rain. Chittagong sits in one such pocket, where up to 400 mm (15.7 inches) of rain fell. TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. NASA images produced by Hal Pierce (SSAI/NASA GSFC). |
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Deadly Floods Sweep Across N
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
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India_AMO_2004286
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-10-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
India_AMO_2004286 |
|
Valley of the Brahmaputra, I
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
In this true-color MODIS ima
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GangesValley_2001296
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2001-10-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, modis-land.gsfc.nasa.gov/ MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
| identifier |
GangesValley_2001296 |
|
Haze over India, Bangladesh,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Haze continued to cloud the
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himalaya_tmo_2008015
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-01-15 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
himalaya_tmo_2008015 |
|
Flooding in Bangladesh: Imag
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
Bangladesh_TMO_2005285
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-10-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. |
| identifier |
Bangladesh_TMO_2005285 |
|
Tropical Cyclone Sidr: Natur
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Tropical Cyclone Sidr was co
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sidr_tmo_2007318
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-11-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
sidr_tmo_2007318 |
|
Hugli River, India: Image of
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
India's Hugli River (sometim
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hugli_ast_2000089
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2000-03-29 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory. ASTER data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ASTER Science Team. |
| identifier |
hugli_ast_2000089 |
|
Haze over India, Bangladesh,
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Haze crept along the souther
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inban_tmo_2008004
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-01-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
inban_tmo_2008004 |
|
Floods in India and Banglade
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Floods in Bangladesh (center
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terra_bangaldesh_05jul03
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
July 5, 2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
terra_bangaldesh_05jul03 |
|
Fires in Eastern India: Natu
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On March 5, 2003, the modis.
…
Bangladesh.AMOA2003064.721
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-03-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Bangladesh.AMOA2003064.721 |
|
Flooding in Eastern India: N
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
eindia_tmo_2007190
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-09 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
eindia_tmo_2007190 |
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Floods in Bangladesh: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Bangladesh's annual monsoon
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Bangladesh_TRM_2007162
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-06-11 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Bangladesh_TRM_2007162 |
|
Fires in Southeast Asia: Nat
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The MODIS instrument aboard
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SEAsia.AMOA2003093
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-04-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
SEAsia.AMOA2003093 |
|
Thick Haze Over Northern Ind
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
The skies over Northern Indi
…
India_2002014
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-01-14 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
India_2002014 |
|
Fires in Eastern India: Natu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On March 5, 2003, the modis.
…
Bangladesh.AMOA2003064
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-03-05 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Bangladesh.AMOA2003064 |
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Monsoon Floods Inundate East
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
Abutting the southern front
…
Bihar_AMO_2007215
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-03 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image courtesy the rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. |
| identifier |
Bihar_AMO_2007215 |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Unnamed tropical storm 02B c
…
bangladesh_rain_TRMM2004140
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-05-19 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
bangladesh_rain_TRMM2004140 |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Unnamed tropical storm 02B c
…
bangladesh_rain_TRMM2004140
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-05-19 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
bangladesh_rain_TRMM2004140 |
|
Fires in Eastern India: Natu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Smoke hangs over eastern Ind
…
India.AMOA2003067
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-03-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
India.AMOA2003067 |
|
India Cyclone: Natural Hazar
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A tropical cylone that hit I
…
IndiaCyclone_trm2002316
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-11-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
IndiaCyclone_trm2002316 |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Unnamed tropical storm 02B c
…
bangladesh_cyclone_TRMM2004
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-05-19 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
bangladesh_cyclone_TRMM2004 |
|
Tropical Storm brings Heavy
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Unnamed tropical storm 02B c
…
bangladesh_cyclone_TRMM2004
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-05-19 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
bangladesh_cyclone_TRMM2004 |
|
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