NASA MODIS Image of the Day: November 5, 2011 – Knox, Budd Law Dome, and Sabrina Coasts, Antarctica
In early November, 2011, the slowly increasing light of springtime in the Antarctic revealed stunning image of the ice-covered lands of Knox, Budd Law Dome and Sabrina Coasts as well as the sea ice covering the southern Indian Ocean.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 2, 2011.
The sea ice afloat on the ocean appears to have a blue cast, but the ice of the continent and the ice shelves are both similarly bright white. Upon close examination, however, it is possible to distinguish the rippled texture of the actual land surface from the smooth surface of the ice shelf on the coastline. From east to west the land is named Knox, Budd Law Dome and Sabrina Coast. This area is a part of Wilkes Land, in eastern Antarctica, and has been formally claimed by Australia. Australia is one of the 48 signatory nations of the Antarctic Treaty, which regulates international relations for Antarctica. The treaty, which entered into force in 1961, sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity.
