Swirling Sediment in Gulf of Alaska

Soft shades of turquoise and tan color the waters of the Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound in this photo-like image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on March 13, 2008. Though the swirls may look delicate from space, they hint at an ocean in turmoil. Strong winds and high waves likely churned the ocean, bringing sediment to the surface in the shallow waters over the continental shelf. The deeper waters beyond the shelf edge in the lower right corner of the image are dark blue, not clouded by sediment.

NASA image by Norman Kuring, MODIS Ocean Color Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek and Rebecca Lindsey.

Published April 1, 2008
Data acquired March 13, 2008

Source:

Aqua > MODIS