January 25, 2021 - Snow Frames the Black Sea

    Follow @NASA_MODIS

   Black Sea Bloom and Snow in Turkey
    Tweet
    Share

   Bright white snow framed the dark waters of the Black Sea in late
   January 2021. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
   on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the
   winter’s scene on January 21.

   Heavy snow drapes over Turkey’s Pontic Mountains south of the Black Sea
   while the Great Caucasus Mountains wear a wintery mantle along the
   northeast shore. In the lower elevations the land appears tan,
   illustrating the senescence of winter vegetation. While the plants on
   land have dried with the winter’s chill, plant-like organisms have
   blossomed in the deep blue waters of the Black Sea, creating swirls of
   green so large they can be seen from space. Known as phytoplankton, the
   microscopic organisms live in these waters year-round in relatively
   small numbers. When conditions are right—correct nutrients, sunlight,
   and water temperature—they reproduce explosively creating large
   floating blooms. While summer is the best time for phytoplankton blooms
   in the Black Sea, they may occur any time of the year.

   Image Facts
   Satellite:  Aqua
   Date Acquired: 1/22/2021
   Resolutions:  1km (85.7 KB),  500m (284.5 KB),  250m (848.5
   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=2021-01-25
 
