Ocean Color in the Gulf of Alaska - related image preview

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Ocean Color in the Gulf of Alaska

The winter-white Alaska shoreline provides a vivid contrast to the turquoise swirls in the black waters of the Gulf of Alaska. This burst of color in an otherwise black-and-white scene is caused by sediment, ground into fine powder by mountain glaciers and carried into the Gulf of Alaska through many waterways. The largest contributor of sediment shown in this photo-like image is the Copper River, immediately east of Prince William Sound.


NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.

Published January 18, 2007
Data acquired January 9, 2007

Source:
Aqua > MODIS