Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired November 20 - 20, 2003 1500 x 1150 567 KB - JPEG
Data acquired November 20 - 20, 2003 3000 x 2300 2 MB - JPEG
Data acquired November 20 - 20, 2003 6000 x 4600 5 MB - JPEG
Salt lakes gleam like scattered jewels on the Plateau of Tibet, shown here in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured by the Terra satellite on November 20, 2003. Averaging over 4,800 meters above sea level, the Plateau is a harsh environment with scant rainfall and a short growing season, which limits agriculture to one valley in the southeast through which the Brahmaputra River winds. There, in the Yarlung Zangbo valley, barley, wheat, potatoes, millet, and turnips are the main crops. Throughout the rest of Tibet, grazing and mining are the main occupations; yaks, goats, and sheep are the principle grazing animals, while the land is rich in salt reserves, gold, copper, and radioactive ores.
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Published November 21, 2003 Data acquired November 20 - 20, 2003