July 25, 2019 - Persian Gulf

On July 20, 2019, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the southern Persian Gulf.

Swirls of chalky tones as well as pale blues and green tinge waters. Such color can be created by either sediment suspended in the water or by the growth of phytoplankton, which are microscopic plant-like organisms that grow into large masses when conditions are right. It is not unusual to have a combination of the two processes creating color in water bodies.

In this part of the Persian Gulf, four countries can be visualized along the coast. From the northwest and moving counter-clockwise are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/20/2019
Resolutions: 1km (115.9 KB), 500m (262.3 KB), 250m (419.9 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC