MODIS Rapid Response

Sediment Swirls Off the Yucatán
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Sediment Swirls Off the Yucatán

Suspended limestone offshore hints at a 66-million-year-old story.

Published Nov 22, 2021

Image of the Day Water

Spring Bloom for South Africa
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Spring Bloom for South Africa

Large phytoplankton blooms tend to occur at intersections: between land and sea, between different ocean currents, and between seasons.

Published Nov 18, 2018

Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing

Flooding in Thailand and Cambodia
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Flooding in Thailand and Cambodia

Seasonal monsoon rains filled low-lying areas with water.

Published Nov 14, 2018

Image of the Day Water Floods Remote Sensing

Fires Scar Northern Botswana
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Fires Scar Northern Botswana

Satellites detect fires that are not necessarily being reported. Scientists are taking note and compiling global views of fire behavior and evolution.

Published Oct 22, 2018

Image of the Day Land Remote Sensing

Typhoon Soulik
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Typhoon Soulik

Two typhoons lined up in the Northwest Pacific Basin, tracking northwest toward Japan.

Published Aug 20, 2018

Atmosphere Severe Storms

Smoky Oregon
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Smoky Oregon

Several large wildfires are blanketing the state with smoke.

Published Aug 15, 2018

Atmosphere Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Carr Fire and Mendocino Complex
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Carr Fire and Mendocino Complex

Almost a quarter of a million acres of land and more than a thousand homes have been consumed by three wildfires in Northern California.

Published Aug 4, 2018

Image of the Day Heat Land Fires Human Presence

Milky Blue Water Near Prince of Wales Island
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Milky Blue Water Near Prince of Wales Island

Warmer waters likely enabled a phytoplankton bloom to occur much later in the year than normal off the coast of Alaska and British Columbia.

Published Aug 6, 2018

Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing

There Goes the Ice
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There Goes the Ice

Sea ice can linger on Hudson Bay into the summer, but it is usually gone by mid-August.

Published Jul 30, 2018

Image of the Day Water Unique Imagery Snow and Ice Sea and Lake Ice

Fires in Manitoba and Northern Ontario
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Fires in Manitoba and Northern Ontario

Lightning sparked nearly 400 new fires in Canada this week.

Published Jul 22, 2018

Heat Land Fires Human Presence

Makgadikgadi Salt Pans
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Makgadikgadi Salt Pans

One of the largest salt pans in the world spreads across northern Botswana, offering critical seasonal oases for mammals and birds.

Published Jul 7, 2018

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County Fire Lights Up the Night
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County Fire Lights Up the Night

As smoke streamed toward San Francisco, more than 1,000 fire personnel were at the scene fighting the blaze.

Published Jul 4, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Here Comes the Saharan Dust
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Here Comes the Saharan Dust

The dust in the skies over the Caribbean and Southern United States has distant origins.

Published Jun 30, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Remote Sensing

Pawnee Fire, Northern California
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Pawnee Fire, Northern California

Temperature, humidity, and winds contributed to the rapid spread of fire in Lake County, about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Published Jun 27, 2018

Image of the Day Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Going, Going, Gone: Summer Clears Ice from Krasnoye Lake
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Going, Going, Gone: Summer Clears Ice from Krasnoye Lake

Volcanic glass found on the beaches of this lake in northeastern Siberia left a mark on the archaeological record.

Published Jun 26, 2018

Image of the Day Land Water Snow and Ice

Massive Amounts of Rain in Michigan
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Massive Amounts of Rain in Michigan

In a matter of hours, torrential rainfall caused historic damage.

Published Jun 20, 2018

Image of the Day Land Water Floods Human Presence

Dry Season Fires in Australia
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Dry Season Fires in Australia

As is common during the dry season, satellites detected many fires in Northern Territory.

Published Jun 11, 2018

Image of the Day Land Fires

Tropical Storm Aletta
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Tropical Storm Aletta

Tropical storm Aletta became 2018's first hurricane in the eastern Pacific.

Published Jun 7, 2018

Atmosphere Land Water Severe Storms

Powerful Dust Storms in Western Asia
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Powerful Dust Storms in Western Asia

Winds approached hurricane-force during the late-May event.

Published Jun 3, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Severe Storms Human Presence

Subtropical Cyclone Alberto
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Subtropical Cyclone Alberto

The storm delivered wind and rain to large parts of the southeastern United States before spinning up to the Midwest and Great Lakes.

Published May 31, 2018

Atmosphere Severe Storms Remote Sensing

Fire Marches Across the Okavango Delta
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Fire Marches Across the Okavango Delta

Amid seasonal flooding, satellites observed a burn scar growing in Botswana.

Published May 30, 2018

Image of the Day Land

Cyclone Duo Hits the Middle East
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Cyclone Duo Hits the Middle East

In the span of a week, the region has been hammered by back-to-back tropical cyclones.

Published May 23, 2018

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Fires in Manitoba
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Fires in Manitoba

A series of fires spread through parts of the Canadian province, including these blazes near Lake Winnipegosis.

Published May 23, 2018

Land Fires

West Coast Panorama
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West Coast Panorama

Stunning natural phenomenon in the water and atmosphere are revealed in this wide view of the western coastline of the United States.

Published May 19, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Remote Sensing

A Seldom Seen South American Cyclone
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A Seldom Seen South American Cyclone

In an extremely rare event, a subtropical cyclone formed in cool waters off the coast of Chile.

Published May 12, 2018

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms Unique Imagery

Spring Color in the North Sea
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Spring Color in the North Sea

Phytoplankton are usually most abundant in this area when spring melting and runoff freshen the water and add nutrients just as sunlight is increasing.

Published May 8, 2018

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Spring Sediment Swirls in the Great Lakes
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Spring Sediment Swirls in the Great Lakes

After a heavy snowfall in April, muddy rivers and streams are turning Lake Erie brown.

Published Apr 28, 2018

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Dust Storm in Saudi Arabia
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Dust Storm in Saudi Arabia

Winds pushed a wall of dust across the Arabian Peninsula in April.

Published Apr 26, 2018

Atmosphere Dust and Haze

Late Spring Snow in the Upper Midwest
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Late Spring Snow in the Upper Midwest

An April storm dropped record amounts of snow in some Midwest cities.

Published Apr 20, 2018

Severe Storms Snow and Ice

Activity at Aoba Volcano
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Activity at Aoba Volcano

A volcano on Vanuatu’s Ambae Island sent a plume of ash and gas streaming across the South Pacific Ocean.

Published Apr 12, 2018

Atmosphere Land Volcanoes Remote Sensing