NASA MODIS Image of the Day: March 26, 2012 – Bermuda
Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, just over 1,000 kilometers (about 600 mi) to the east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the British territory of Bermuda appeared as a curved strip of land surrounded by a jewel-tone shadow in late March, 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the archipelago on March 16. Although often thought of as a large “island”, Bermuda is actually made up of more than 100 smaller islands. Originally created by volcanic activity, the reef and land sit on the edge of a volcanic caldera, which forms the circular outline seen from space. On the edge of the undersea caldera, calcite-containing marine organisms built their homes, creating a coral reef. Generation after generation of corals built upon skeletons of their ancestors, until, eventually, a limestone cap was formed. At one time the limestone cap peaked above the water, where wind, rain and the active sea ground the limestone into fine sand, forming the basis of today’s habitable islands. In this late winter image, the southeastern edge of the islands appear bright white from the reflectance of sun off of sandy beaches. The bulk of the land still wears the drab tan of winter, but can be expected to turn an emerald green in summer, when lush plant growth covers the islands. The northwestern side of the bright Bermudan ring is made up of living coral reefs, which appear as speckles of light blue and green set against the deep blue waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
