Mississippi Delta

This true-color MODIS image from December 27, shows the southern U.S. states (from left to right) of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the far western panhandle of Florida. Sediment from the Mississippi River, running roughly down the center of the image, fills the Delta as it opens into the Gulf of Mexico. Mixed with the tan sediment are blue and green swirls that indicate a bloom of tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton. Such blooms can culminate in red tides, in which toxins given off by the rapidly growing algae kill fish and other marine animals.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published December 27, 2001
Data acquired December 27, 2001

Source:

Terra > MODIS

Topics:

Biosphere > Microbiota > Phytoplankton

Biosphere > Vegetation > Phytoplankton

Hydrosphere > Surface Water > Rivers/Streams

Hydrosphere > Water Quality > Suspended Solids

Land Surface > Erosion/Sedimentation > Sediment Transport