Snow in Iran

Snow outlines the two major mountain ranges of western Iran in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image, taken on December 29, 2004, by NASA’s Terra satellite. In the north, the Elburz Mountains curve along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. This 900-kilometer-long range blocks moist air from the north, creating an arid desert to the south. At an elevation of 5,775 meters (18,934 feet), Mount Damavand is both the highest peak in the range and the highest point in Iran. Extending across the image from the upper left corner to the lower center are the Zagros Mountains. A broad stripe of snow covers the peaks of the mountains in the northwest.

Closer to the Persian Gulf in the south, rain has fallen instead of snow. According to local media reports, floods have inundated Iran’s coastal provinces, killing 20 by the end of December. Evidence of the flooding can be seen in the waters of the Persian Gulf. Flood waters dump clouds of sediment into the Gulf. The sediment is tan at first, and then appears green as it is diluted.

MODIS also observed several fires, which have been marked in red dots. The neat vertical line of fires in Iraq, far left, are probably oil refineries. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are below Iraq on the left side of the image.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published January 5, 2005
Data acquired December 29, 2004

Source:

Terra > MODIS