Sediment from the Tigris and Euphrates

Credit: Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC, Posted on: Thursday, 6 November 2003, 06:00 CST Download full size image

There is a large amount of sediment clearly visible in the true-color image of the Persian Gulf, acquired on November 1, 2001, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Carried by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (at center), the sediment-laden waters appear light brown where they enter the northern end of the Persian Gulf and then gradually dissipate into turquoise swirls as they drift southward. The nutrients these sediments carry are helping to support a phytoplankton bloom in the region, which adds some darker green hues in the rich kaleidoscope of colors on the surface.

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