Images
August 21, 2021 - Qeshm Island, Iran
Follow @NASA_MODIS
Tweet
The arrow-shaped Qeshm Island claims fame as Iran’s largest island as well as the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Roughly 84 miles (135 km) long, the island sits close to the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz—the narrow passageway where waters of the Persian Gulf (west) mingle with those of the Indian Ocean. A narrow strait filled with turquoise-green waters separates arid Qeshm Island from the equally-arid mainland. The colorful tint likely comes from sediment suspended from tidal motion and waves in the shallows off-shore.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Qeshm Island on August 14, 2021. While most of the island is tinted with a variety of tans that illustrate the dryness of the rocky terrain, some locations on the northern coast are tinted with green that marks vegetated mudflats that thrive with biodiversity.
The largest green area that stretches between Qeshm Island and the mainland is the Hara Biosphere Reserve. While the central area of the reserve is considered a marine zone, there are wetlands with a series of small islands, mangrove forests, tidal marshes, and shallow covers. The largest Avicenna mangrove ecosystem of the Persian Gulf Shoreline is found in this reserve. Rich in biodiversity, the Hara Biosphere Reserve provides a home for the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/14/2021
Resolutions:
1km (79.6 KB), 500m (204.4 KB), 250m (531.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The arrow-shaped Qeshm Island claims fame as Iran’s largest island as well as the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Roughly 84 miles (135 km) long, the island sits close to the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz—the narrow passageway where waters of the Persian Gulf (west) mingle with those of the Indian Ocean. A narrow strait filled with turquoise-green waters separates arid Qeshm Island from the equally-arid mainland. The colorful tint likely comes from sediment suspended from tidal motion and waves in the shallows off-shore.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of Qeshm Island on August 14, 2021. While most of the island is tinted with a variety of tans that illustrate the dryness of the rocky terrain, some locations on the northern coast are tinted with green that marks vegetated mudflats that thrive with biodiversity.
The largest green area that stretches between Qeshm Island and the mainland is the Hara Biosphere Reserve. While the central area of the reserve is considered a marine zone, there are wetlands with a series of small islands, mangrove forests, tidal marshes, and shallow covers. The largest Avicenna mangrove ecosystem of the Persian Gulf Shoreline is found in this reserve. Rich in biodiversity, the Hara Biosphere Reserve provides a home for the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 8/14/2021
Resolutions:
1km (79.6 KB), 500m (204.4 KB), 250m (531.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
