Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired October 24 - 24, 2002 1000 x 1300 262 KB - JPEG
Data acquired October 24 - 24, 2002 2000 x 2600 902 KB - JPEG
Data acquired October 24 - 24, 2002 4000 x 5200 2 MB - JPEG
This true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from October 24, 2002, shows the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent running through the deserts of Iraq. Cradled between the Euphrates River to the west and the Tigris River to the east, the area has been a haven for humans and other life for thousands of years. Increasing human demand for water has placed great pressure on the once fertile wetlands, and they have shrunk considerably. In southern Iraq, MODIS detected several heat signatures, which are likely gas flares from oil wells in the region. South of Iraq is Saudi Arabia and to the east is Iran. To the north is Turkey, and to the northwest is Syria. The Euphrates River stretches down into Iraq from Syria.
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Published November 20, 2002 Data acquired October 24 - 24, 2002