The winter of 2002-03 has brought unusually high levels of snow and rain to the east coast of the United States. Much of the region is still covered by snow (white pixels). This melting snow and rain in the mid-Atlantic States is sending increased volumes of sediment-laden water into coastal estuaries, and from there into the Atlantic Ocean.
The sediment-laden water is evident in this March 3, 2003, Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) view of the area. Notice the brownish color of the coastal waters, particularly in and around the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays.
Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE
