December 2, 2020 - The Grand Bahama Bank

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   Bahamas and Cuba
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   Peacock blue and gem-like greens color the waters off The Bahamas.
   While the variation of colors and sweeping curves are reminiscent of
   gentle brush strokes laid down by a master painter, they are the result
   of a combination of shallow depth, uneven contours of the ocean floor,
   sea grass banks, and the light-colored sands that form the the Great
   Bahama Bank.

   The Great Bahama Bank is a massive underwater hill underlying Andros
   Island in the west, Eleuthera Island in the east, and multiple islands
   in between. It reaches almost to northeastern Cuba, which can be seen
   near the bottom of the image.

   In past ice ages, the Great Bahama Bank was dry land but as ice melted
   and sea levels rose, the tall hill slowly submerged under the ocean.
   Today, the bank is covered by water, though it can be as shallow as two
   meters (seven feet) deep in places, while the surrounding basin drops
   to depths as low as 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). The bank itself is
   composed of white carbonate sand and limestone, mainly from the
   skeletal fragments of corals. Where the depth plunges, the ocean
   appears deep blue.

   Between Andros Island and Eleuthera Island, a long deep, dark region
   that is known as the “Tongue of the Ocean”. Here the depth drops to
   2,000 meters (6,500 feet). An important area rich in sea life, it is
   home to more than 160 fish and coral species. At the southern edge of
   the Tongue of the Ocean, colorful wave-shaped ripples can easily be
   seen from space. These are underwater dunes on the Great Bahama Bank,
   sculpted by currents over time. Sand and seagrass found in the dunes
   add to the striking colors of this area. The dunes are partially
   covered by cloud in this image.

   The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
   NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the Great Bahama
   Bank on November 30, 2020.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Terra
   Date Acquired: 11/30/2020
   Resolutions:  1km (42.1 KB),  500m (138.5 KB),  250m (415.1
   KB)
   Bands Used: 1,4,3
   Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2020-12-02
 
