NASA MODIS Image of the Day: October 13, 2008 – Floods on the Mexican Gulf Coast
Rivers along Mexico’s Gulf coast burst their banks after two weeks of heavy rain in late September and early October 2008.
The flooding forced 7,500 people from their homes and shut down oil wells in the state of Veracruz, said the Associated Press.
The MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of the floods on October 7, 2008. If you move your mouse over the image, you will see this region on September 12, under normal conditions. The images include both visible and infrared light to enhance the presence of water on the ground. Water, black in this type of image, is prevalent in both images. Wetlands surround the three rivers—the San Juan, Paploapan, and Tesechoacan—that flow together to empty into the Gulf of Mexico in the north. The pools of black that dotted the wetlands on September 12 dominate on October 7, showing the extent of flooding along the overflowing rivers. Plant-covered land around the rivers is bright green, and clouds are light blue and white.
